Auckland New Year

In planning our trip to New Zealand, something had caught our eye - small yacht charters that take travellers out for a jaunt in Auckland’s harbour.

It was a glorious evening that New Year’s Eve and as we motored away from the dock we looked back on another memorable Auckland attraction – the Maritime Museum.

There were 17 passengers of various nationalities on the Pride of Auckland that evening and we all took turns manning the helm and trimming the sails. We dropped anchor for dinner and sipped wine, exchanging stories with our travelling companions.

After dinner, we sailed under Auckland’s harbour bridge, coming about to return into the main harbour. It was now dark and the skyline quite beautiful. It was still a few hours before midnight, but the excitement of the day had caught up with us and we went back to our hotel.

We had a rude awakening some time later when we shot up in bed to flashing bright lights strafing our hotel walls. A spectacular fireworks display had begun atop the Sky Tower at midnight, across the street from our hotel. Dubbed “Moulin Rouge” by the locals, we moved to the window and enjoyed a ringside view of Auckland’s New Year’s Eve light show. Over 35,000 people were on the streets below doing the same thing. We must have been dead to the world until our awakening - there was no mistaking the fireworks and cheering crowd.

If you find yourself in Auckland and have limited time, the Maritime Museum is a must.

A few hours wandering around the various displays will give an appreciation of the importance of the sea in New Zealand’s history – from early Polynesian navigators to whaling ships and the mass immigration of the 20th Century. Pride of place is also given to celebration of New Zealand’s America’s Cup victory and the life (and untimely death) of Sir Peter Blake, Black Magic’s captain.

A short distance from the Maritime Museum is one the Auckland’s most beautiful buildings – the Ferry Building.

Nowadays this 1912 Edwardian baroque building is the focal point for commuter ferries. Devonport, one of Auckland’s north shore suburbs is a short ten-minute ferry ride away.

Waiheke Island is also worth a visit - and we discovered that the ferry ride alone was worth the visit. On New Year's Day we enjoyed the white sandy beaches overlooked by cottage vineyards.

New Year’s holiday is a day for Aucklanders to pack a picnic, hop the ferry to Waiheke and laze the day away on the beach. It was fun being wrapped up in that atmosphere. We were on to do more serious things – explore three of the Island’s boutique wineries. Set among trailing roses, lavender bushes and olive trees it was an enjoyable afternoon.

Shades of England as we stopped for a lunch break – the tinkle of the ice cream van, meat pies, fish and chips – and the mainlanders enjoying their day out. We partook of the meat pie – bad decision after Doug renamed his snack dog meat pie.

We rejoined the holiday hordes for the return ferry trip to downtown Auckland and after a refresh at the hotel, it was time to eat. We found a backstreet Indian restaurant with friendly, talkative owners, non-stop Bollywood movies on the TV and a Maharajah’s banquet to die for.

On our way back to the hotel we experienced what nutty Kiwis have become famous for. Four insane people were strapped in a device resembling a sofa. A sort of reverse bungee jump had been set up in a car park.

Moments later the device hurled the screaming group into the air and we were left staring along with other passersby, wondering why. It didn’t look very safe, but Auckland is the city where people bungee jump off the Sky Tower for entertainment whether or not its a New Year's dare.