An Auckland Stroll

 Today we were just getting to know the area around us in Auckland.

We walked down Queen street

And ended up at the water and ferry terminal where we picked up some pamphlets on the timetables and other islands near by

Then back past Queen street with it’s high end shops 

Todays’s blog is not in the order it happened as I am grouping the pictures more by things like building, parks and such. I just thought this Baptist tabernacle was cool looking

This one is right near a new modern entertainment center. It holds a playhouse and looks like it was the main cultural entertainment area until the new one behind it was built

This is the ferry building  with food and shops

This is the Shakespeare Hotel

I am not sure what a Sunday school union is, but this building claimed it was it

Just up one of the streets. We are really in the middle of the CBD (central business district)

We set out to find this large park area. We used the map and ended up coming in from a little used way by the railroad. We trek through dense foliage and muddy trails for about a quarter of a mile. I were really wondering if we had slipped through a portal or something as it was hard to believe we were in a city of 1.6 million people. I was wondering if the grounds keepers would find us and haul us in from of whichever nobleman’s forest we were in.

Then we climbed up a hill and found a road, paved paths and a well kept park

This tree looks like it was blown over a while ago, but it was still alive and had new leave all coming out

The paths lead through the park area with flowers

A lovely pond

Lush plant life (and lots of Pokémon😉)

When we walk through areas like this I am always awed by the beauty in nature

We got to do some bird watching as we walked

There were lots a new ducklings waddling with their moms

And white swans gliding through the pond

I really was struck by the bright blue feathers in this guys wings

This is one of the official entrances for those people who don’t come in sloshing through the muddy back trails

This area borders the university 

Our food choices have been very global. Last night was Italian 

Lunch today was Chinese and both were super yummy

Tonight we went very British

At the brewery pub

It has been around a while and our fish and chip were just right

It was a very refined pub with a pool table, but I did not see a dartboard anywhere, which is the stereotypical pub atmosphere 

But the fare was good and Dale enjoyed the TV behind me and the wild extreme sport stuff they were showing. 

Tomorrow we are off to Hobbiton and Bilbo Baggin’s place