On the last day of the conference in Auckland which ended at noon, I left Sky Tower and took a ferry to Devonport. Devonport is a historic seaside village and apparently is the city's oldest suburbs. I figured after spending one week in downtown Auckland, I would like to see another side of Auckland.
Just barely 15 mins ferry ride from Auckland Harbour, Devonport provides a very relax atmosphere. There is a lot of quaint little shops selling arts and sculptures and hot cocoa (perfect for the weather).
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| At Victoria Road. Very charming little town |
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| At King Edward Parade. Simply simply beautiful |
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| Cool wind, warm sun, hot cocoa ... life is beautiful |
Devonport has an interesting history from both its Maori inhabitants and colonial European settlers. Three small volcanoes are situated in Devonport, which are believed to have been occupied by Maori since 1350. The remaining volcanic cones, North Head and Mount Victoria are popular visitor spots where evidence of Maori occupation can still be seen and explored today.
So, we climb our way up the Mt. Victoria (known as Takarunga in Maori). Dejavu (http://jess-yap.blogspot.com/2010/01/cape-schanck-red-hill-arthurs-seat.html) … rain starts falling, wind starts howling … but we managed to stay on track and reach the summit. The view is just so spectacular and worth it all.
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| View of Auckland City from Mt. Victoria |
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| View of Torpedo Bay |
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| View of North Head |
Due to the extremely cold weather, we did not stay long at Mt. Victoria but heads back to the village.
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| Latte in a bowl |
Something worth mentioning is that the houses and buildings in Devonport is just unbelievably beautiful. Old world charm and new world simplicity. Simply gorgeous.
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| A Victorian villa |
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| A Meditteranean restaurant |
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| Ahhh, this is such a beautiful place |
This pix taken near the wharf with a huge rainbow after the rain. After spending the whole afternoon in Devonport, we took the ferry and head back to downtown Auckland.
We flew back to KL the next day for 11 hrs. That’s what I dread most … but I’m home now with lovely memories of Auckland, New Zealand.
Location : Auckland, New Zealand
Date of travel : Jun 2007, Winter
