Auckland, NZ ~ April 2019
I know, it’s not a picture of a ferry boat, it’s a container ship. But I swear to you, I took the picture from the ferry on which I was being ferried. You can almost see sort of a reflection of the window in the upper left corner… Also, you can’t take a ferry to the top of a volcano, at least not this one in Auckland, so this is about our journey starting with a ferry and ending at a volcano.
Actually, let me start before we board the ferry. If you ever visit Auckland area and get an Airbnb, check out Half Moon Bay. That’s the neighborhood where we stayed and the ferry terminal was 5 minutes away from our accommodations. The ferry boat was such a convenient way to travel to downtown Auckland for the day. Since we had no idea what we were doing, I’m glad it was so easy to use. We got on the ferry, sat back and relaxed for a bit, got off, told the cashier where we started our trip, paid, and done. I didn’t have to calculate a route, or pre-order tickets, or wait in line at the ticket machine behind two girls who looked like they couldn’t figure out which buttons to press. None of that! Plus, I got to see this container ship up close, or as close as I’ve ever been. So the beginning of our city hike in Auckland started with a ferry ride.
After trying to get coffee, we walked down Queen Street, picked up a few souvenirs, ate a quick lunch, then passed Symonds Street Cemetery on our way over to the War Memorial Museum. Symonds Street Cemetery is what I might picture when I think of any creepy movie depiction of a cemetery. I don’t know about during the nighttime, but during the day, it looks like a peaceful sanctuary with some neat looking headstones.
Throughout our trip, we also found many of these memorials with the crosses and poppies, leading up to Anzac Day at the end of the month. This one was in front of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which was the next place on our to see list. We came up to the War Memorial Museum from the side, so we had to cross this huge field and a mini forest or park area. Luckily, they had some very nice portable toilets on the side of the road going toward the parking lot. I don’t remember why I thought they were so nice exactly, but I remember that I was pleasantly surprised. I think it was because of the automatic doors or something… Anyway, we made it and our next decision was whether to pay the fee and go inside.
Remember this is holy ground 
Tread not upon it except in reverence 
This would have been a great opportunity to learn more about New Zealand history, but we decided not to go inside because of time. Fortunately, they had some impressive water fountain features in front of the building and we could take a 15 minute break before the next part of the hike. I liked the inscription carved on the front of the massive pillared building:
“The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men
They are commemorated not only by columns and inscriptions in their own country
But in foreign lands also by memorials graven not on stone
But on the hearts of men”
Pericles
Our last excursion for our city hike was a rather quick jaunt up to the top of Mt. Eden. It is the highest point in Auckland and a popular place to take in the panoramic views. From the crater of Mt. Eden back down to our ferry terminal, it took less time than I expected, most likely due to it being downhill. We could have hopped on a city bus, but I probably wouldn’t have had exact change anyway. We stopped at a juice bar on the way, which was the perfect refreshing treat after all of that walking.
