By the numbers
1 fitbit that had monsters fighting on the screen.
21,550 steps
14.85kms
1 ferry
3 trains
I got up early as I was hoping that it would not be raining
and hoped that I could get to the ferry in a timely manner. It wasn’t that far
to walk to the cafe where I wanted to have some breakfast. I had heard the cafe
was a Turkish cuisine one and I never noticed when I was there at the time.
Once I had ordered, I had the cafe chick ask if I had been camping and I told
her where I was staying. She asked if I had gone on any of the walks and I told
her I had and spoke about the wreck I had found. Not everyone actually understands
when I mention an old boat down in such and such. I said that its a bit stuffed
go take anywhere. Once I had eaten and made my way to the bus stop where I didn’t
have long before the bus came. I was watching how silly the ducks were as one
flew onto the road and stood there in front of a car before running off in
front of another car. Having no problems
getting a ticket, I was surprised by the slowly growing line before the ferry
arrived. People had literally appeared out of nowhere.
The ferry ride over to Auckland wasn’t that bad at all and I
was reading on the way over, although it didn’t seem like a very long trip. I
was looking forward to getting to the city and sorted out. I had washing that
needed to be done and once I was free I could go anywhere. I knew I needed the
city link bus that does a circuit of the CBD area of Auckland and visits Karangahape
road, which is near where I needed to walk to the hostel. I was happy with that
and when I got there, I couldn’t check in until 2pm and it was around 11am. I
spent the entire time doing my laundry and while in the dryer, which had a huge
amount of lint in the catcher. I had lunch and walked past a barber, where I
ended up getting my hair cut along with a huge amount of product put in. I was
hanging around the hostel waiting for the time after I had picked up my dried
clothes. My bags were in storage so they were safe where they were. Once I
could check in, I got my bags out of storage, which had multiplied since I had
first been in there. Once I sorted out my bed and found a chest I could lock my
gear in, I was off to the train station.
I wanted the train to Otahuhu as I had seen a memorial for a
soldier involved in the Waikato wars. He was Colonel Marmaduke Nixon and the
monument was located on the Great South Road, which was once the trail the
soldiers took when going down to the Waikato region to fight the Maori and
there were redoubts and other defensive positions built along the way. While on
the train I soon discovered free wifi at the train stations under the name of
At Hop being the name of the travel card. I had bought myself an updated set of Auckland
maps better than anything you can find online especially when they include
cemeteries. I followed the map to the Nixon memorial and looked around before
heading back. I had taken a few pictures that I wanted since I seemed to be
collecting New Zealand wars monuments. The next idea I had as the day was
slowly running out was to visit Manukau. I had flipped to the correct page and
was wondering where to go as it was an area that I had little interest other
than the Great South Road and Redoubt road that once had a redoubt somewhere
nearby. I spotted a settlers cemetery so wanted to look at that. I did have the
thought of visiting the botanic gardens, although I am not so sure I can walk
there after looking at the map. Not with Auckland type traffic.
I think I was doing a tour of Auckland by going out as far
as I could since Manukau was as far as I could go on that line. It looked like
the shopping centre had been placed there and the town grew around it. I wasn’t
actually sure what to think other than it reminded me of the Tweed area. The
cemetery was really a memorial, which was in memory of the Woodside Methodist
cemetery right next to the Rainbow’s End theme park. I did wonder if that was
why it was no longer a cemetery or because of everything else too. The theme
park had been shut for the day and I headed over to the shopping centre with
the intention of heading back to Britomart. I ended up stopping for a bite to
eat as I needed some fuel. I knew to listen to my body and I fed myself before
wandering off again realising the shops were closing. I headed to the train
station to find one train had been cancelled due to signal problems from
Britomart and another would soon be arriving 20 mins later. I wouldn’t have
attempted to get a bus as the traffic had been bumper to bumper the entire time
I had been in Manukau. We were soon off by train that I was happy to be off
again before it became dark.
It was after 7pm by the time we arrived in Britomart.
Britomart is the main train station in Auckland city and was once a fort well
before the train station at Britomart had been built. Something similar happened
to Fort Macquarie where the Opera House now stands in Sydney. I caught my
friendly link bus up to Karangahape Road and this time I wanted to visit a New
Zealand War monument in Symonds street cemetery. I had a fair idea where it
might be and with it slowly getting cooler and dark, I went in search. Down by
the highway overpass, I seen someone sitting with a bag and told myself I am
going no further with people sitting around down there especially when I was on
my own and it was getting late. The person could have been harmless, but I didn’t
want to find out and maybe he was thinking the same of me as well. I do not
know. I headed back to the hostel where I found the card wouldn’t work in my
room. It got me into every other door except where I was staying. I got that
fixed and had a shower as I needed one especially since I had a hair cut.
The plan for tomorrow is to visit the New Zealand national
Archives. I have two options and that is to catch a bus or to get a train part
way and catch a bus, which was what I would do anyway. Afterwards as I would
have fried my brain go for a walk up One Tree Hill all because I can. We shall
see if that plan actually happens or not.
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