Auckland
On our way from Rotorua to Auckland we stopped by a beautiful reserve, called Sanctuary Mountain. We had spent our time in New Zealand learning about the damage introduced species, mostly mammals, had done to the ecology, mostly trees and birds. Sanctuary mountain is an attempt to reverse time by removing all mammals from the top of a hill using fine mesh fencing and intensive monitoring.
We entered through a double gate, crowding into a cramped space behind the entrance and before the second gate into the reserve. Although we passed from one outdoor space to another, it felt like we entered another world. It was more humid, the smell deeper, and bird song everywhere.
I regret that we didn’t get to spend longer here. I regret that I didn’t get to walk alone in these woods.
We arrived in Auckland in the mid afternoon and had time to settle in to our hotel room for a bit before dinner. Our room looked towards the Auckland Sky Tower, where people can jump off and enjoy a controlled landing. We heard a few screams, but never happened to catch anyone falling.
Auckland Sky Tower from our hotel room
Our guide invited all of us to meet him in the lobby to take a walking tour down to the harbor to dinner. We decided to find dinner on our own and watched the start of the New Zealand/Australia rugby match at a pub near the hotel.
The next morning we took a short bus tour of Auckland that ended at the Auckland Museum. Gareth recommended that we get tickets to a Maori Cultural Experience which we couldn’t photograph, but the link goes to a youtube video that gives a good sense of it. This was probably the best experience we had in Auckland.
That evening we had our farewell dinner and the next day we started our multi-day journey home. It was a fantastic trip.
Thanks for following along!