Monday - February 25, 2008

Auckland, New Zealand

We could tell that the last visit of the QE2 to Auckland was a special occasion as soon as we stepped off the ship. There were signs saying "Follow the QE2 out tonight - $50" or some variation of the same, all along the quay. People were crowded around the quay taking pictures of the ship, and Mike and I were interviewed by a local TV station by a reporter wanting to know what the ship was like. I wonder if we made it onto the evening news. We were not due to leave until about 10:00 pm so we definitely had the feeling we were going to get a great send-off, given how early people were starting to gather.

We walked over the the next pier, and hopped on a catamaran to see the city from the water. (I often ask myself why we get to port and get off a ship only to get onto a boat, but never mind.) Auckland is a city with a beautiful skyline, and we thought it would be good to get another perspective. You can see what I mean from the photos. 

Auckland is known as The City of Sails, and for good reason. A very high percentage of its residents own a sailing boat or some sort of watercraft. This may explain why New Zealand is always such a great contender for the Americas Cup. It was a beautiful warm day, with great puffy clouds a slight breeze so it was a perfect time to be on the water. I don't have a lot to say about the harbor cruise, so I'll let a few pictures tell you the story. 

After the cruise, we caught a ferry over to the town of Devonport. Here, you feel as though you have stepped back a few years to a time when small town stores were not all part of a chain, when children played in parks that were full of flowers, when a resident would stop you on the street to ask where you were from and did you know where to get the best ice cream in town ("Hey Canada, did you enjoy that ice cream I told you about"). We visited a gallery that we admired on a previous trip here, but it had been shut. Unfortunately for the bank account, it was open this time. Everything in the shop is hand made by the owner who has to be the best glass blower that I have ever seen. His work was just incredibly beautiful and I saw a piece that I just had to have. I have included a photo. If you think it was the right decision to buy it, send money. Keep in mind that this is all layers of glass; nothing is painted.

Our stateroom balcony was just the right place to be for our departure from Auckland. We were so close to the apartments along the pier that we could see right into their living rooms. The residents were all out on their balconies partying. One group caught our attention, because I think they had started partying early. First they brought out a huge flag to wave. Then they yelled apologies for not having streamers to throw and improvised with a roll of toilet paper! Then they brought a speaker onto the balcony so we could all hear their music. They were having a great time. 

Then the whistle sounded three long blasts to everyone's delight, and we started moving out. Then as we began to move out, three young girls on one of the apartment balconies lifted their t-shirts to our delight. I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to catch that shot. But I did get some beautiful night shots of the Auckland skyline and the Black Watch ship docked at the next pier over. She had followed us all the way from Tonga. 

These departures are always fun, but there is always a veneer of sadness that the QE2 will never visit any of these port again and even more so that they just aren't building ocean liners like her anymore.