Ahoy, mateys! After a short sail down the coast of New Zealand, we made landfall in the bustling metropolis of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. If you’ve been following my adventures for a while, you can probably guess that cities aren’t really my thing…but I have to say Auckland and the surrounding suburbs are pretty cool.

Auckland is one of the few cities in the world to have harbors on two major bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. Waitemata Harbour is the heart of the city. Sailboats dance on the water giving Auckland the nickname “The City of Sails”.

Auckland’s skyline is dominated by the Sky Tower, the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere.

We hopped on a bus tour that wound through the city’s streets until we reached the Auckland Harbour Bridge. We crossed that bad boy to the North Shore and the charming town of Devenport. If Auckland is the bustling city cousin, then Devonport is the laidback beach bum of the family. With water on three sides and several beautiful beaches, this was more our speed!

The clouds and rain did not make for ideal conditions for photography. I do have a couple of shots to brighten the day…even though I must confess, they were actually taken yesterday. I won’t tell if you won’t!

Our next stop? Well, let’s just say it will be a bit less city and a lot more nature. Brace yourselves!