Last Stop, Auckland

 To see the entirety of this 5+ minute video, you can click here. The drive from Huka Lodge to our hotel in Auckland was beautiful, but subdued. We were anticipating the long trip home that would begin in two days.

    After the indescribable beauty we had experienced for the last 16 days, Auckland was a bit of let-down. Maybe it would have been better if we had started with the excitement of two days in Auckland before we experienced the upcoming journey through the countryside and waterways. As it was, we spent much of our time anticipating and preparing for our journey home.

That said, Auckland is a beautiful, robust city. More than a quarter of the New Zealand's population lives there. The streets were lined with trees and shrubbery.

The four of us went to the Maritime Museum which displayed the extensive maritime history of New Zealand. I found the sheer size and beauty of NZL-32 sailing yacht dubbed Black Magic that swept the 1995 America's Cup competition overwhelming. The roof of the building housing the yacht had to be expanded upward to accommodate the mast.

The keel alone was gigantic