Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand with an urban population of just over 1.5 million inhabitants. The Māori name for Auckland is Tāmaki Makaurau, meaning ‘Tāmaki desired by many’, which references the desirability of its geographic location. The name Auckland comes from William Hobson, the first governor of New Zealand from 1841 to 1842, who named the city after George Eden, Earl of Auckland and British First Lord of the Admiralty.
Here’s a gallery of photos from our stay in Auckland.
Auckland welcoming committee - not kiwis, hedgies!!
Our Airbnb was right next to Western Park, and we took daily walks along the park paths. Here's Angela proving that you're never too old to enjoy a good rope swing!
Downtown Auckland was just a 20 minute walk from our Airbnb. Here's a shot of Sky Tower, the second tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 1,076 feet (Autograph Tower in Jakarta is the tallest).
We were greeted by velvet Elvis in the living room of our Airbnb. Angela was impressed : )
Steve & Dave taking their evening constitutional in Western Park with their friend, Jack, the dog
Kiwi bike polo in the neighborhood park!
Here's another shot of Sky Tower from a distance ...
... and finally, a parting shot of Sky Tower from Princes Wharf
I may have just forgotten the needle, but I honestly have no memory of it. Of course it’s been a number of decades. Are you going up?
It’s called the Sky Tower. It was built in 1997, so maybe it went up just after you visited? We were going to go up, but it was super expensive! You can do all sorts of crazy stuff once you go up … they can tie you to a rope and dangle you over the top, or you can bungee off. Not for me : o