Day 23, January 29, Auckland. We are now starting to motor across the Tasman towards Sydney having just passed Cape Reinga. Motoring is a relative word as we are doing a leisurely 14.5 knots. The sea has immediately got a much bigger swell as we pass the top of NZ.
Yesterday was Tuesday so it must have been Auckland. Again, we were lucky with the weather as it was a balmy 28C which is just shy of their January record, at least according to their wiki.
We did a morning visit with the chef and some fellow passengers to the Auckland Fish Market. We were too late for the fish auction which occurs every day very early in the morning but it was explained to us by one of the market's staff. They conduct a Dutch auction of fish lots with the buyers using a highly developed electronic system sitting at desks! I never knew that. There was a retail side attached to the market and that satisfied us as we could actually see fish. A few came back with the chef.
After, we got the ferry across to Devonport which was a great spot opposite Auckland CBD. We haven't been there before but will go again as there are loads of cafes and restaurants and many Victorian houses, mainly small, which now cost zillions. We hiked up Mt Victoria to see the impressive views back to the city.
After 3 weeks of ship food we decided to go out for dinner and continue the pescetarian theme of the day by eating at Fish in the Hilton next door. It was generally okay but a little disappointing when so much of the fish was imported. New Zealand is not short of many things including fish.
Finally, back on board we had a late night show by a Maori entertainment troop. They were very good and very entertainling. Somehow "Pokarekare Ana", the traditional Maori love song, morphed into "Solo Mio" and then "Do the Hokey Pokey". You had to be there!
It ended with a truly scary Haka that would have won them a Rugby World Cup.
The rather unusual Lighthouse installation at the end of Queen's wharf.
Green lip mussels for lunch in Devonport, Auckland.
The view from Mt Victoria, Devonport.
Ovation of the Seas dwarfs us. It is 6 times as big, has 15 times the passengers, and has to tender because there is no berth big enough.