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February 24, 2021 · 5:35 am

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Auckland; Taking in more sights

So, today we’ll just cruise around Auckland and take in some more sightseeing. And, yes, even in late fall you’ll find blooming flowers on the North Island:

I know. I know. You’ve seen it before. But, I do so love the classic look of the Auckland Ferry Building:

Up until this day I had never heard of a “rechargery”. Just kidding. Big Street Rechargery is the name of a business specializing in repair, rental, and recharging of electric bicycles:

Here is the view looking up beneath Sky Tower:

We’ve seen the new (above), so let’s finish today with a look at the old. Here’s a neat little architectural detail we stumbled across at 118 Queen Street:

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Tagged as Auckland, cruise ship, Fun Photo Friday, Majestic Princess, New Zealand, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, vacation

February 22, 2021 · 5:35 am

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Auckland; Dining Options

Between the circumnavigation series on Australia (beginning with: Circumnavigating Australia — Starting in Sydney) and the current circumnavigation series on New Zealand (starting here: Circumnavigating New Zealand — Fiordland 2019), it’s been a long, long blog haul. And before those I did a series on the stopover we made to the Cook Islands (starting with: Rarotonga, Cook Islands — An Airbnb Rental on the Beach; Dinner with Friends) before continuing on to Sydney. All told, I’ve been creating articles describing this trip since 27 April 2020, with only a few unrelated articles interspersed.

As you may recall, this series was the culmination of actually two separate cruises. The first occurred in early 2019 aboard Majestic Princess. The second began one year later aboard Radiance of the Seas.

But all good things must come to an end, and this series concludes on Friday. Yes, we’re still viewing Auckland, New Zealand this week, but let’s spend some time to talk about food. There are some great places to eat here in Auckland, but our favorite by far was an upscale place overlooking Viaduct Basin. This was a truly delightful discovery called Soul Bar & Bistro. Alas, silly me, we went there after sunset, and I neglected to bring along my camera. But I did snag earlier that day a photo of the outside dining area.

Soul Bar & Bistro — Fantastic restaurant

If you’re looking for cheaper fare, walk westbound along Jellicoe Street, in the Wynard Quarter just west of Viaduct Basin. You’ll soon come upon a sign reading Sanford & Sons. Head inside. There you’ll find numerous dining venues (Auckland Fish Market website), and a shared glass enclosed courtyard. It was here that we grabbed a bite for lunch from the Market Seafood Galley.