Thursday 29th December - Auckland day 2

After learning how to use the public transport system and buying Hopper cards, with the help of a lovely lady in the transport office,  we caught a bus going to Glen Innes!

The buses run every 15 minutes, unlike the Armidale to our Glen Innes bus which only runs once a day.

 Our first stop was a visit to Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Centre.

 

Kelly Tarlton was a diver and environmentalist, who built this aquarium in disused sewer pipes.

It was one of the first in the world with a moving walkway and the tunnel for viewing the fishes.

 

 It opened in 1985 and Kelly Tarlton died shortly after, 

(really! only a few weeks later, like in March 1985), in his sleep aged 47. 

Reportedly, a heart attack due to stress and overwork. 

 

Well, there's a lesson for us all.

 

The first exhibit was about Scott of the Antarctic. 

Another one to add to the history book of tragic deaths.

 

 

The theodolite photo is for Sean.

 

Well,,, at least the this penguin will keep still. (picture below)..

 Unlike his living ancestors,

I tried to take photos but with mixed results!

I even had my lovely Canon on sports mode.

Below: At last, this rascally penguin is not moving..  

because it is asleep, of course.

Well, it was asleep before I tried to take its photo and I got a very dirty look for my trouble.

 This one is molting

It is always a challenge to take nice photos through glass/perspex and with the blue light.

However, I rather like the one below, this is a starfish, clinging to a dome shaped viewing window.

 And some  jelly fish.

Now, the 'thought for the day'. (Apart from avoiding having a tragic death).

I love the above photo, the anemone moved so beautifully, it was like anemone ballet.

Below:- But, then there was Nemo,

and there were more fish,

and sharks,

and sea horses, that looked like carrots,

 and crayfish, too big to eat, (do lobsters get tougher the bigger they get? I wonder)

and more fish. 

Okay,

that's enough fish tales.

In part 2 for the day we were above the waterline as we paid a visit to the maritime museum. 

For which we both got seniors rates, and they didn't even question it or ask for proof which was a bit disappointing! Do I look that old? YES, Blaah!

I am very glad that my new suitcase has really good wheels...

and that our cabin is a tiny bit my more glamorous than this one from the 1950's...

Below:- Here is the boat that won the Americas Cup for NZ in 1995.

NZL32, which is a very unimaginative name, but I guess it has a meaning. Uh ha, I just googled it, it was also called Black Magic, maybe that name is considered racist these days.

ENZA means, Eat New Zealand Apples.

 

And I'm not even going to start about Sir Peter Drake and his murder in 2001. There seems to be a repeating, tragic death theme thingy happening in today's post.

Blah, if you are interested in the amazing life of Peter Drake, please see,

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Blake_(sailor)

 

 We sailed at 4pm, these are photos taken from our upper verandah deck.

 

The tug boat performed 'wheelies' as a farewell, (went round and round in a spin) which was rather funny to watch, but not good to photograph.

 

Above is North Head.

 

Below (once again) is my spectacular photo from 2014 when we were sitting on the same North Head.

Now we are sailing past it in the year 2022, who would have thought?!

 

 Guess what?

There are folks up there on the North Head, taking photos right back of us!

I can see the sun glinting off their cameras/phones.

 

Their photos must have been pretty special, it was an afternoon with a sparkling Auckland harbour, a glorious blue sky, and an huge, but elegant, lady sailing through the same said harbour. 

(My Dear Readers, that's the Noordam as the huge lady,  not Kim, thank you very much).

 

You can't go wrong with those elements to make a great and special photo.

 

 

Last shore day tomorrow and its the Bay of Islands.