Today me and Ems made like grannies and took a bus tour around Auckland. It was $40.00 for the whole day and you can ‘hop-on-hop-off’ as much as you like within that day. The busses stop at 14 important places within the city and you get a commentary as you are driven round.
Most of the busses were filled with Cruise Ship Passengers on day release and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many negative people in one place! It really was terrible to see them moaning about everything. Everything. It makes me wonder how these people go through life being so rude. We, however, had a lovely time and it was a really fun and interesting whistle-stop tour of the city.
We went to Bastion point lookout, Parnell Rose Gardens, Auckland Museum (to swap busses), and Mt. Eden.
Bastion Point Lookout, and Mission Beach
This lookout point offeres brilliant views out over the Hauraki Gulf and Waitemata Harbour. It has the remains of a WWII-era lookout bunker and gun emplacements. The lookout has a path going down to Mission Beach.
Parnell Rose Gardens
Here a wide variety of Roses are showcased that have been bred by internationally celebrated rose breeders…I didn’t know that such a think existed! The gardens were lovely, with a lot of different roses; some were different shapes slightly, some with bigger blooms and some with smaller blooms. I like the ones that are sort of flecky, not all the same colour.
Auckland Museum
This Museum tells the story of New Zealand’s history, from the emergence as a nation through the loss and suffering of war, to the unique and ancient natural history found here.
We didn’t actually go into the museum, we simply needed to change busses here, but it still looks pretty from the outside and you get a rather nice view over the city from this vantage point.
Mt. Eden
Maungawhau (thats its proper name) is one of Auckland’s most famous landmarks. It is the highest volcano in the greater Auckland area and it provides epic views over the city and the Waitemata Harbour. You can’t take the bus right up to the top, but there is a small minibus that ferrys people the 300m to the top…of course we took the bus. The views over Auckland are indeed epic and we both spent a long time getting photos of the views.
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