Leaving Auckland

Whenever I come to the last day of a trip, I always wish I could drag it out a little longer. That’s how I felt after I left Auckland’s Ambury Regional Park. I wished there was some place close by where I could see just one more sight.

Ambury Regional Park’s sheep

Around the Auckland park, I had to watch where I walked. The ground was littered with sheep poo although for some time I didn’t spot a sheep.

Ambury Regional Park

Only about six kilometres from Auckland’s airport, Ambury Regional Park stretched along Mangere Harbour. As I opened and closed gates, I was at first disappointed by the bare landscape, but once I found the trail that fringed the bay, the swaying grasses and rocky shore took on a new look.

Rangiriri

Rangiriri, a tiny village south east of Auckland, would be easy to overlook. I stopped off after a fourteen hour flight in need of a break from driving to discover a place with a history.

The glowworms of Waitomo Caves

Top image: photo courtesy Karora – wikimedia.org

Before we entered the cave, south of Auckland, our guide informed us to remain silent. Any noise we made, would frighten the glowworms. This silence, added to the magic of the boat tour.

Otorohanga Kiwi House

Auckland was a beautiful city. How could it fail to be anything else with its perfect waterfront location? But there was more to explore, so I headed south to Otorohanga, just north of Waitomo.

Auckland’s Devonport

I drove to Auckland’s Devonport where the sun reflected off the calming water. Old renovated houses with verandas and carved decorations fringed the entrances, reminding me of Paddington (Brisbane). Across the sea, miniature Auckland lined the waterfront.

The lava island of Rangitoto

After arriving in Auckland, I ferried to Rangitoto Island Reserve across the bay. The deep green sea stretched around the island as I followed a path that wound passed oyster beds flourishing on lava rocks thrust from the volcanic cone six hundred years earlier. Climbing over jagged outcrops that covered the entire island, a bellbird called.