Auckland, Muriwai, Piha and Karekare
Arriving in Auckland we had a nice walk around town, but decided there wasn't anything we were desperate to see. We spend out first evening enjoying the nightlife of Ponsonby, and then on the final day we hired a car again and visited some of the West Coast beaches - all under an hour's drive from Auckland. First was Muriwai, where a couple of minutes walk from the carpark gets you past the surfers and fishermen to a busy gannet colony. The chicks were hatched already - pic below shows feeding time (smelled *terrible*). Then we drove on to Piha beach (covered in bright orange and yellow gazinias) where we had lunch (Piha pie and coffee). Ralph climbed Lion Rock, and we watched the surfers for a while. Flowers from the dune grass behind the beach looked like strange sea creatures washed up on shore. Finally, to Karekare - almost black sand, and very windswept on the day we went. This is where some of The Piano was filmed, and it feels miles from anywhere. There is also a beautiful waterfall just behind the beach. The Pohutukawa flowers were just out (they'll be fully in bloom by Christmas), and we spotted a Monarch butterfly feeding on one: they migrate huge distances. Amazing to think that a tiny butterfly can cross continents. Finally, back to Auckland for dinner on the harbour front and a farewell drink at the top of the Sky Tower.