The Waterfront and Devonport

New Zealanders seem to hold three sports very close to their heart: rugby, cricket and sailing (my own favorite Kiwi seems to also like cycling but that’s a different story!) it was therefore very fitting that my first proper day in New Zealand seemed to involve all three of them!
Our day started with a walk at the waterfront and the Viaduct Harbour which was redeveloped for the 1999-2000 America’s Cup (for those of you, like me, who have no idea what this is: it is a yacht racing competition that NZ won for two consecutive times in the last decade). It is called the America’s Cup because the US had a monopoly to it for the first century of its existence. The latest holder is Switzerland, no mean feat given that Switzerland itself is land locked!
I am not a big ship/yacht person but some of the ships at the Harbour were truly beautiful and you could see how a whole nation could get so excited to watch them race!

Our next destination for the day was Devonport; a beautiful suburb at the north shore of Auckland. Although you could get there by car we took the ferry from the Waterfront and 15 minutes later we were there!

Devonport seems to be a cross between a fishing village and an affluent suburb. It was full of green spaces with children playing, quirky galleries and shops (including an amazing chocolate shop where I bought my first chocolate fish!), as well as cafes and deli bars. A few hours of exploring later and Blair and I were ready for some food. We found a large bakery that also did food and I ate, yet again, like there was no tomorrow! (I think I can easily get used to the Kiwi generous portions!)

On our way back to Blair’s flat we stopped at an All Blacks shop where you could buy any type of memorabilia you could ever wish for. I resisted the temptation this time around, but who knows maybe on my last weekend in Auckland I will prove my support for the Kiwi rugby team.

So, I’ve mentioned the sailing and the rugby how about the cricket you ask me? Well, behind Blair’s building there is a very nice ale pub with some tables outside. As we were passing by to enter the flats there was a group of people drinking ale at an outside table. Obviously they looked like any other group of friends to me but Blair informed me that I had just seen the NZ one day cricket team!
After that excitement I proceeded to sleep for a couple of hours (my jet lag seems to make me even more sleepy than usual). The day ended with some lovely dinner and watching Footrot Flats: A dog’s tale; a Kiwi children’s favorite!