Tag: Auckland

NZ Navy 75th

Auckland, New Zealand – November 17, 2016

Another business trip to Auckland! I am fortunate that Leslie can travel with me on so many of my business trips.

On this particular trip, on our way to the hotel, Leslie asked the taxi driver where we could find crayfish for dinner. He suggested Sails Restaurant. We made arrangements to have him pick us up later that evening and take us to the restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant is at the Westhaven Marina. The dining area is on the first floor with a beautiful view of the marina and the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Our starter was a smoked salmon platter. It came with a melba toast type cracker, beetroot, and assorted greens. Maybe it was the ambiance, but the salmon was the best tasting I had had in quite some time.

Our main course was the crayfish Leslie wanted. In New Zealand, crayfish are equivalent to lobster, not the mudbugs that one might find in Louisiana. Here, the crayfish are very similar to lobster. The main difference is the claws; they are much smaller on the species here. The meat looks the same as a lobster. It also pulls out in clumps like lobster. The taste though is not as rich. For me, that makes it all the more delicious. It was not served with melted butter; however, Leslie was able to talk them into bringing some to the table.

Dessert was just as good as the other two courses. I had the crème brûlèe. Leslie’s dessert was reminiscent of doughnut holes, ice cream, and caramel. It was quite good, but it made up for the crayfish not being rich!

One morning we walked to Albert Park and, subsequently, the Auckland Art Gallery. It was a beautiful morning. We found many varying views of the Sky Tower.

When we visited the gallery, one of the exhibits contained dozens of pieces of work by Gottfried Lindauer. He was a renown portrait artist in New Zealand at the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century. His portraits of Maori with their various moko facial tattoos. We enjoyed seeing so much of his work.

Saturday morning, we had time to tour around. We settled on taking the ferry from Auckland across the harbor to Devonport. We would have been hard-pressed to pick a cloudier, more drizzly day. But, it is what it is, so off we went.
There were several naval ships from around the world anchored in the harbor. They were taking part in the New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary. One of the invitees, the USS Sampson was absent. The ship made the trip to New Zealand to participate; however, it volunteered to be rerouted to the South Island to assist with recovery efforts following the 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake. That earthquake occurred about one week before the anniversary celebration. It would have been nice to see her. This appearance in New Zealand waters was the first time a United States ship had been welcomed for more than 30 years.

The Indonesian ship Banda Aceh, a Banjarmasin-class Landing Platform Dock.

We got off the ferry at the Devonport pier where there are several shops and restaurants. We walked outside and saw a lot of activity in a park near the dock. There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of hand-painted and decorated wooden birds. On one of them was written, “Save the Godwits.” A godwit is a native New Zealand bird. Their numbers are declining. One estimate I saw was just 75,000 in all of New Zealand.

We continued walking around the CBD of Devonport, exploring the many shops and cafés. Near the Devonport library, there is a massive tree. Other than fake trees at Disney World, I am not sure I have ever seen a tree with such a large trunk.

Back at the pier complex, we stopped in the Devon on the Wharf restaurant. We had a leisurely lunch.

After lunch, we stood in a queue to wait for our ferry back to Auckland. While there, I spotted a “no” sign. It was amazing to see one sign with so many “illegal actions.”

Back in Auckland, we prepared for our journey back home. On our way to the airport, our driver took us to One Tree Hill. It offers 360-degree views of Auckland.

View toward the airport from One Tree Hill.

The obelisk at the summit of One Tree Hill.

The marina and the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

RSS Resolution, a Singapore Endurance Class tank landing ship.

The New Zealand ship Otago, a Protector class offshore patrol vessel.

The Republic of Korea frigate, Chungbuk.

Sky Tower looking west along Victoria Street.

Albert Park with the Sky Tower in the background.

Albert Park and a view of the Sky Tower.

Handrail leading down to the Auckland Art Gallery.

The Landing of Lieutenant-Governor Hobson at Waitangi, by Matthew Clayton (1896).

Christmas display at the Farmers Department Store building.

Auckland Visit

Auckland, New Zealand – August 8, 2016
We landed in Auckland after an uneventful flight from Wellington. We checked into our hotel, the Stamford Plaza, shortly before lunch. The room we had faced Albert Street. Across the street was a shell of a building. No doubt, the owner is hoping that a buyer will come along to redevelop the site.

Roof detail of the building at 9 Wolfe Street.

After lunch, I went to work.
When I returned to the room, we discussed where to go for dinner. We settled on Harbourside. We departed the hotel to walk about two blocks to the Ferry Building, overlooking the ferry docks.
We began at the bar, which is unique. The bar has four sides. One entire side of the bar displays nothing but tequila, including several sugar skull bottles of tequila. The bar on the side we chose had several types of alcohol, including rum. Suddenly, much to my surprise, I spied an old friend. There, on the shelf, was a bottle of El Dorado Rum. Our introduction to El Dorado happened while we lived in Georgetown, Guyana. Our drink of choice that night was wine, but I made a mental note for an after-dinner drink.
While sitting at the bar, we enjoyed a starter of Smoked Snapper Pâté. It was smooth, creamy, smoked snapper pâté, with lemon juice, smoked paprika, and served with crispy spelt bread. It was delicious.
From the bar, we moved to our table. Leslie opted for the Roasted Merino Lamb Rump. It came with potato boulangère, honey spiced beetroot fondant, baby beets, burnt onion purée, hazelnut, panko crumbed sweetbreads, and herb yogurt. I chose the Ora King Salmon Fillet, served with smoked leek vichyssoise, charred baby leek, oyster mushroom, samphire, apple, cucumber, diamond clams, and crayfish essence. I cannot put into words just how good it tasted.

The following night we decided to try the Lumsden Free House Bar. It is not as flash as Harbourside. Regardless, it has a friendly atmosphere.

Khyber Pass Road next to the Lumsden Free House Bar.

One day at work, on the way from one home inspection to another, my colleague and I stopped at Mount Eden. It is a nearly 650-foot tall dormant volcano. It provides a stunning view of Auckland. At 160 feet deep, the bowl-like crater is impressive.

Auckland CBD as seen from the summit of Mount Eden.

The Harbor Bridge as viewed from the summit of Mount Eden.

Survey marker at the summit of Mount Eden.

Saturday morning, Leslie and I took time to visit the Kelly Tarlton Aquarium. Uniquely, the entire aquarium is underground. A moving walkway transports one through several aquariums. The sidewalk is very similar to the one at the National Aquarium in Napier; however, it is four or five times longer. By far, our favorite exhibit contained a lone, fist-sized octopus. The octopus sat still and quiet in the display until we approached.
Suddenly, the octopus put on a show just for us. It was very entertaining to watch the octopus move around. Leslie decided she would like one as a pet. I moved her along so we would not get in trouble.

View across Okahu Bay and Judges Bay to the Auckland CBD. An obviously foggy morning.

We took a taxi back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage, and headed to the airport.

Queen Street looking south from Customs Street.

Hangin’ with the Veep

Auckland, New Zealand – July 18, 2016
My calling to Auckland was to assist with the impending visit of Vice President (VPOTUS) Joe Biden to Auckland. My assigned duty was baggage assistance. I was used to the task, having done the same thing for the VPOTUS and Secretary of State’s visits to Madrid when we lived in Spain.

I arrived at the Crowne Plaza hotel shortly after 11:00 and reported to our work area. It is truly amazing how much work is required to make such a high-level visit successful.
The next day, Tuesday, I took part in the walkthroughs of each portion of the VPOTUS visit. I paid particular attention to the planned activity at the airport.
Around noon, the buses dropped us in the Newmarket area of Auckland. Two others and I opted to lunch at The Lumsden Freehouse. It has the look of an Irish pub. They seemed to specialize in craft-brewed beers. On a future trip, I will have to return and try the beer. I ordered the Campfire Chili. The serving was huge. I could not eat the entire thing.Later that evening, two colleagues, and I dined at Tony’s Original Steak & Seafood Restaurant. It is just around the corner from the Crowne Plaza hotel. In this location for some 50 years, the restaurant has a very inviting ambiance. The restaurant is large, but it seems quaint and inviting because it is broken up into several small seating areas.
It was busy when we arrived. However, even without reservations, the host seated us within moments of arriving. I ordered the fillet steak, steamed vegetables, and chips. During our pre-meal conversation, I ordered a glass of Toi Toi Sauvignon Blanc. It is a delicious local wine. When my steak arrived, it seemed to melt in my mouth. I was incredibly happy with my meal. I will return in the future.
Wednesday was game day. The Vice President was due in the early evening. I arrived at the pre-appointed location at Auckland International Airport around 14:00. The three others helping me, our Air Force contact, and I ended up staging about 300 yards away from where Air Force 2 would stop. His plane arrived at about 18:15. We did not get access to the aircraft for 30 or 45 minutes. During that time, people prepared the aircraft for the Vice President to emerge, when he finally emerged from the plane with his granddaughters, the camera flashes when wild.

Vice President Joe Biden and his granddaughter stepping off of Air Force 2.

After the greeting party finished and the motorcade departed, we approached the plane. It is pretty cool to stand below Air Force 2. We loaded the luggage into a box van and left for the hotel. As a token of his appreciation, our Air Force contact gave each of us a box of “Presidential” kisses. They were Hershey Kisses in a “Presidential” box with a likeness of the signature of President Barak Obama. It was kind of him to be so considerate.
At the hotel, we worked with the hotel staff to deposit the baggage in the correct rooms. After that, our driver took us to our hotel. It was around 21:30. I was hungry since we had not eaten dinner, but I was more tired. I went to my room, had a glass of wine, and crashed for the night. The following morning, all of us working the VPOTUS visit were to gather at his hotel for a meet and greet. The plan was to have individual photographs with the Vice President. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, the individual photograph idea degraded to photos with groups of 10 or 12 people. Regardless, I was happy for the opportunity. On the two other visits mentioned above, I did not get to meet either Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton. I had assumed this visit would be the same.

When Biden approached our group, he did not immediately step into the group, wait for the camera snap, and then move on. Instead, he stopped and faced the group. He expressed his sincere appreciation for all of our hard work to make his visit a success. Then, he allowed each of us to introduce ourselves, and he shook each person’s hand. He was genuinely nice.

The Vice President’s plane was to depart around 15:00. We worked with our contact to retrieve the passenger’s luggage from the hotel, loaded them in the box truck, and returned to the airport. While we were loading luggage, our contact said he would check to see if he could get us a tour of Air Force 2. That was something else that had not happened on the previous two visits I worked. This time, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to board the plane for the tour. We saw everything from the cockpit to the rear galley. The highlight was probably the private suite for Biden. The tour is a memory I will cherish.

Air Force 2 being readied for the departure.

The seal of the Vice President on Air Force 2.

After loading the aircraft, we returned to the same area in which we had staged the evening before. Once Air Force 2 took off, we departed the airport. Having missed lunch, we decided to stop at Carl’s Junior for something to tide us over. Then it was off to our hotel for the “wheels-up” party. That allowed all of us who worked the visit to unwind a little.
Friday morning, I took care of a few bits and pieces, helped pack up some of the control room, and then departed for the airport.
I changed to an earlier flight, ultimately surprising Leslie with an early arrival.
High-level visits are a lot of work and stressful. But I know I am fortunate to be able to participate in such visits.

More Work

Auckland, New Zealand – March 14, 2016

I made a short business trip to Auckland. On my time off, I finally visited the Catholic Cathedral. The Cathedral is on the same site that was deeded to the church in 1841. The existing Cathedral structure dates from 1885. It was a spectacular space.
Walking through the Cathedral, I discovered an Auckland nun had been beatified. Sister Mary Joseph, also known as Suzanne Aubert, lived from 1835 to 1926. She founded the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion and two hospitals in Wellington.
Fittingly enough, across the street from the Cathedral, is a mural of Adam and God.

Before I knew it, I was on my way back to Wellington.
The trip into Wellington was a little windy and bumpy, but it was not too bad.