Devonport

Decided it was about time we did a bit more sightseeing this weekend so we made a trip to Devonport village on the North Shore of Auckland. Devonport is a harbour side suburb across the water from the CBD and as such offers great views of the city. It also home to a Naval base and many houses from the colonial era.






It can be reached by car, driving over the harbour bridge but we decided on the more scenic option and took the ferry. Amanda was a little nervous being the type that can get sea sick walking through a puddle; the crossing was fairly benign however as the ferry never got up much speed and the water was relatively calm.

Once in Devonport we decided on a quick walk before a spot of lunch. First destination was Mount Victoria, the highest on this shore and offering great views around Devonport. We also found an old world war two bunker that is now home to the Devonport folk club, could be a real gem and we plan to come back for a forthcoming gig. The little mushrooms are in fact air vents for part of the bunker complex.






From here we walked on to a nearby beach with the aim of eating there. Unfortunately, Rich's decision to wear his Vibram Five Fingers for this walk turned out a bad one. He has been wearing them almost constantly since arriving and mistakenly thought he was now ready for a long walk. Aching feet and blisters proved him wrong and the pace of the walk slowed considerably.

As such lunch was not to be had until almost 4pm. But how was it worth the wait as we stumbled upon a little café/restaurant that had a Turkish chef - which was reflected in the fine (and very filling) salads we had.






The rest of the afternoon was spent reading on a bank with a view of the city before us before venturing back into town to check out a shop selling imported English groceries. Rich just resisted the temptation to buy some HP sauce but Amanda could not resist the lure of a pack or two of Fruitellas!




Devonport South African War peace memorial - note how Rich's feet are no longer shod in Vibrams!

Rich's restraint was soon rewarded however with a pint of Kilkenny at Devonports "English" pub -The Patriot. After drinking NZ "ale" for the last few weeks, never has a pint of Kilkenny tasted so good!

As a parting comment, this trip allowed us to acquaint ourselves with the Auckland rail network as we took the train in to the CBD from Onehunga. Cheaper than the local buses and quicker of course, but still incredibly slow. The trains sounds as if they are on their last legs and can't ever have exceeded 30mph!