Day 29 Tuesday February 13, 2024, Auckland, New Zealand

Welcome to Day 1 in Auckland considered the most volcanic city in the world and also known as the City of Sails.

It is 05:30 and a tug is pushing Insignia towards her pier in Auckland. We are overnight as is Viking Orion (capacity 930 passengers). I assume both ships are ending their segments and beginning new ones. From leaving the port of Los Angeles on January 14 cruising through Hawaii, French Polynesia, American Samoa, and Fuji Insignia we have covered 8,490 Nautical miles.

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand with a population of approximately 1.5 million inhabitants. We are docked at Princess Wharf 145 Quay Street. This wharf includes three separate buildings of at least six stories high on our starboard side (right). These include condos on the top three floors, a Hilton Hotel and office space. The sunrise views must be wonderful when there are no ships to block your view. There is one couple now looking out at Insignia from the balcony of their condo.

We are directly parked across from the Ferry Building on the port side of the side. It is nice to see this historical building completed in 1912 still in operation surrounded by new office buildings dotting the city skyline. Companies like Deloitte, PWC, HSBC, ANZ, and AON have their offices near the water's edge. Other companies like Google and Microsoft have also set up shop in downtown Auckland. Intercontinental Hotel is part of the Deloitte Office Building taking up the first eight floors. The Auckland Sky Tower is just off the water's edge on Victoria Street West. This 25-year-old structure measures 328 meters in height. Fireworks are set off around the tower every New Years Eve.

The ferry terminal is a bustle of activity throughout the day with ferries transporting commuters from outlying areas of the city. The morning and evening commutes are very busy. Also, visitors make use of the ferries by taking day trips.

Auckland is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city with Asians accounting for approximately 30% of the city's population.

Today, Auckland has two commercial ports, The Port of Auckland on the Pacific side handles large container and international goods while the Port of Onehunga on the Auckland Isthmus deals with internal shipping. The largest shipping container port in New Zealand is located at Tauranga which handles approximately 41% of the goods brought into the country.

Before we leave the ship, Dottie the cruise director provides us with information regarding BioSecurity for New Zealand. We are not allowed to bring any type of food product from the ship unless it is in sealed packaging like a protein bar. Information is posted throughout the ship to this effect and information is provided over the PA until we leave New Zealand. They take their biosecurity very seriously and issue $400 fines on the spot if you take any fresh food products off the ship.

Our half day tour booked through Viator is certainly not enough time to see Auckland but it gives you a flavour of the city. Our first stop was to Viaduct Harbour formerly Viaduct Basin which was originally a commercial harbour on the waterfront. It has now been turned into upscaled apartments, office space and restaurants.

Westhaven Marina is across from the bay from the city centre and offers great views of downtown Auckland. It is the largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere with 1,800 plus boats of various types and sizes. On the weekends our guide Michael said that the marina is basically empty as Aucklanders take to the water. It is believed that 1 in 4 people own boats in Auckland considered the largest boat population in the world.

Another stop was to Maungawhau Mt Eden one of the 53 dormant volcanoes spread over 1,000 square kilometers. Great 360-degree views of the city can be seen from the top. New Zealand's National Stadium Eden Park where the All-Blacks play could be seen from here as well.

We were starting to get somewhat hungry so a stop in St. Heliers for meat pies was in store. I am glad Victoria does not have a good variety of meat pies or else I might be eating them daily. My choice of steak and cheese in gravy was delicious. The passengers on the tour all picked up meat pies and off to Achilles Point to enjoy our lunch while Janice has a veggie frittata.

After being dropped off at the Cruise Terminal Janice and I boarded a ferry for a 15-minute cruise to Devonport. We arrived just after 15:30 and many of the shops were beginning to close. There was just enough time however for Janice to have a manicure. The spa ship prices are very high so she tries to have her treatments off the ship if time permits.

That evening we were made our way back to Viaduct Harbour for pizza, salad and New Zealand wine of course before calling it a night. We had a rooftop table overlooking the marina and lighted bridge, a perfect end to a perfect day in a beautiful city. Overnights in ports are always nice especially for the crew who work so hard and don't have a lot of time off.

Day 1 in Auckland is complete.