Auckland from the boat at the marina.
Arrived in the outer harbor of Auckland about 9:00 AM after an overnight from Opua. It was a pleasant sail with light winds on the stern and only a few minor rainsqualls. The boom preventer was constantly taught as we were on the point of jibbing most of the time but could not alter course much because of islands on either side so the RADAR had a workout as well. Arrived just in time to see the America's Cup boats being towed out for practice. Their tow/chase boats are 25 ft. RIB's which also carry lots of spare sails. There is also an entourage of smaller inflatables which all have weather towers on them to gather wind info on all parts of the course in addition to the weather buoy. The Gulf of Hauraki can get quite choppy especially when the wind opposes the tide.
Contacted Customs to advise them that we and the cat had arrived and were directed to a pontoon at the base of Queen's Wharf. It took a little looking around but we found it and maneuvered in underneath the bow and anchor of a container ship that was docked just in front of it. Customs came and checked the cat, not us, and we were free to go so long as the officials could come and check the cat with surprise visits anytime day or night. This meant we would have to stay at Westhaven Marina which is very close to their office and we wouldn't be assessed extra travel charges, right in the heart of the city, very nice but expensive.
Auckland is a wonderful city, big enough to have everything but friendly, un crowded and clean. We learned the downtown quickly with the help of several great friends who went out of their way to drive us around. The waterfront area has gone through a major metamorphosis from ramshackle unused freight docks to the America's Cup Village and a harbor walkway lined with restaurants and shops. The number of people visiting the area is expected to swell as the finals approach and the racing gets increased coverage. The taxi drivers make one want to make a permanent move to Auckland. The first thing you notice is they all drive new, clean cars that they could have just taken their mother-in-law to church in. They are dressed in a shirt and tie, speak English and jump out of the cab to hold a door or help you load and unload packages. On top of all this, the fare is very reasonable and THEY DON'T WANT A TIP! Try that in NYC.
We would like to spend more time here and will upon our return in April but for now Elizabeth, Christianne and Hannah will return to the US while I take the boat down south 120 miles to Tauranga and prepare it for storage...
Auckland from the boat at the marina.
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