So we arrived in Auckland late afternoon yesterday, picked up the hire car and then surprisingly managed to find our hotel all in driving rain. I have to mention the Air NZ safety video, directed by Peter Jackson and performed by actors from Lord of the Rings. Hilarious, but at least everyone watched it. We went out looking for dinner after unpacking and wandered into an Italian restaurant where a local operatic student was performing in Italian. Didn't like to leave as it would have appeared rude so sat down and enjoyed freshly made pasta dishes and listened to unknown arias for the evening....
Thursday. Drove through Auckland City and round the coast to Mission Bay for cake and coffee. Very windy and still rain in the air but brighter. Returned to the CBD and booked lunch in the Skytower, a 328 metre high construction which is taller than Sydney's where we went last year. We ate in the revolving restaurant while Auckland and suburbs appeared below us. Being NZ you can, of course, throw yourself off a platform 280 metres up ( attached to wires) and come to a stop 10 metres from the ground! Good to watch but we didn't feel the need to participate. Wandered around Auckland and then drove out to Devenport, the local Naval base where the houses looked familiar; felt like we were in Kent suburbs. NZ is so much like England it's weird!