After our walk last night we decided that we were going to take a ferry ride the next morning. There were several islands to choose from outside of the bay and also points inland that are also served by the ferry service. We narrowed it down to Whiheke Island a lush island that is home to over 30 wineries. I had a restless night and was woken up by with thumping noises and repeated car alarms going off. I wondered if there had been an earthquake but it turns out that a gigantic cruise ship docked on our wharf sometime in the night. It can be seen above on the Princess Wharf and it was huge. It totally blocked the buildings that are behind it. A constant flow of disembarking passengers paraded past our apartment for over an hour. Since Whiheke island is the most popular island to visit we decided to change the plan and head inland instead. We hopped on a ferry bound for Hobsonville which was the ferry that traveled the furthest inland. It was a beautiful sunny day and the bay was calm and placid. While waiting for the ferry we shared New Zealand travel information with Rashi A. She was most helpful with great insights on New Zealand travel. We also met a delightful couple on the ferry, Martin and Kati. They have been in New Zealand for four months of their six month planned visit. They had been in Marbella Spain, our next stop after New Zealand. We had a a great discussion about travel, philosophy and morality or at least I think we did. It was noisy and the accents were tricky. Matrin was from Zambia by way of Scotland and Spain and Kati was from Berlin via Spain. So if we do see them when we get to Spain, perhaps we can understand more and nod blindly less. The ferry ride was only 30 minutes. There was a farmers market at the ferry landing where we got some honey, spicy sausages, chocolate fudge and dumplings. We strolled along the coastal walkway peeping at birds and people alike. Some new birds for us and some fun moments with the people along the way.
This beast of a ship woke me up in the morning. The ship is bigger than the hotel it is docked next to
Making our way to the ferry
The number of people on this cruise ship is mind boggling
Bio Security is a real concern
This could be a song. No rat and no skink, those damn ants make me think, no seeds and no soil, those invasives make my blood boil
A good trade off. This is the crowded ferry to Waiheke Island that we chose not to ride on.
So very large
Kati's cute sandals
Heading under the bridge and further into the bay
There is a walk way for pedestrians on this bridge
Navigational hazards
Kindred Spirits
Let the NZ flag fly
Some interesting houses along the way
An old RAF aircraft hanger repurposed into a brewery
The water levels are tidal and at low tide large areas are quite shallow
We get off...they get on
The dogs are enjoying Hobsonville
The coastal walkway runs along this shoreline
An eel trap sculpture
Brew Pub and restaurant
We are in the Farmer's market where Martin and Kati are walking past us
Time for some honey!
Cute wind up bee toys
It was delightful chatting with Karlene
A quick snack of dumplings
Then is is off to stroll the coastal trail
Bees love these flowers
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New Zealand has two species of Kingfisher and the Kookaburra is the other one. This is the sacred kingfisher and he has a crab stuck on hit top beak.
A huge tree growing out of a rock. There were epiphytes growing out of the side of the tree.
A canoe and a ladder off to the side. Leslie said that this is a young man's launch
The obligatory corporate truck purchase
Little Creatures Brewery
The tide continues to receed
Variable Oystercatcher
I wonder what they crossed off of this sign. It comes right after mentioning that there were 12 buildings that housed munitions!
A cool sculpture
One big bird
Flowery path
Tree ferns
Marsh or coastal swamp?
Sitting pretty
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Lunch time for a house sparrow
A fine marsh
An introduced Mallard Duck
Lush growth on the coastal trail
A happy skylark
Tiny fish by the dock
Not a flamingo
Off we go!
Low tide means sinking into the mud
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white fronted tern
Fishing
Swimming on such a great day
More cool houses
Boats everywhere
Getting closer to Auckland
Back under the bridge
The closer we get the bigger the houses get
"The Wharf" under the bridge
So many boats
Did I say that there were lots of boats?
Even strangly shaped ships
We took a walk when we got back to try to fix some things about our train tickets
It was a very hot and long walk
And when we got there, the office was closed
It has been 217 days since we began our Migration
