085 – Waitemata Harbour

So I wandered toward the smell of water toward what the map said was Waitemata Harbour. They spell harbor funny, but I’m trying to fit in here so will go with it.

Prior to European settlement, the harbour was the site of many Tāmaki Māori pā and kāinga.
If I understand things correctly (and take warning it is me, so I probably do not) Tāmaki Māori are like tribes of Māori. Pā and kāinga are like villages, or different types of villages.

Traditionally, the Māori used the harbour as a fishery for sharks and snapper. According to one traditional legend, Waitematā Harbour is protected by a taniwha named Ureia.

Wikipedia tells me ‘taniwha’ are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers 

The harbour is the main anchorage and port area for the Auckland region.

The area is sheltered not only by the Hauraki Gulf itself but also by Rangitoto Island, so it has good protection in almost all winds, and lacked dangerous shoals or major sand bars.

There are certainly a lot of ships here. This is a main cruise ship dock location, and a huge variety of other ships, including a boat show and sale.

I think my son just cheered and my husband just fainted.

God it is so good to feel air. And breeze. And even salt water. And just looking to the horizon and seeing infinity.

I tried to time my visit to catch the sunset, and I did get some pics, but there was a lot of stuff in the way for being such a wide open space.
One of the things that is prevalent here is the lock fad. Almost all fences have padlocks on them. This is not a new thing, especially if I have heard of it, but I thought the fad would have passed by now. Anyway, here they are.

They are currently working to refurbish the area and make it into a pleasant place for tourists and festivals and such. One of the areas they are working on is this weird structure, which now the only purpose I could ascertain was to climb and get a better view of the world. Which I, of course, did.

I am not of maritime heritage, but I imagine it was some kind of ship boarding apparatus at some point, but I really have no idea. You can see it is also surrounded by old oil or fuel silos, which was a bother in getting a great sunset shot, but it is a Harbour, not a beach.

So, my purpose I suppose is not to experience nightlife or even partake in the boat show or basketball courts. My purpose tonight was to get out and see… I suppose I could call it my temple. Mom nature in her full power doing her thing.
Humans tend to get in the way of that, but if you look hard enough, she is still out there.

The drawbridge was neat. I had not seen one in a while, and where it is a pedestrian bridge, I was surprised at how frequently it went up and down. One might think they could have moved it deeper into the area and avoided all the up down, but I really do not know of such things.

Another thing that was interesting to me, was the swimming area. Right next to the draw bridge, they cornered off this section of the harbour for swimming. There are a few defined lanes for lap swimmers. There is an area people can jump in if they are so inclined, and there is an area that you can wander over and just sit on the steps and put your toes in the water.
I did none of the above because frankly it looked cold and I did not have my suit. But it intrigued me. Again, from the Midwest so we are lacking in oceans and harbours, but I had no idea this was a thing… if it is a thing in places other than here.

Not bad for humans interfering in the sunset. Here is a tip that I learned several times, but it is one of the current lessons I took from Asia.
When you think you’ve seen it all, stop and turn around. Like in the temples, the best demon drawings are on the wall above the exit. After the sun sinks under the horizon, turn around and look at the clouds, and yes, you want clouds because the best sunsets come from the turmoil, not the clear skies. The reflection, the afterglow, the whatever makes the light dance is where the best colors are.

But then it gets dark, so I headed for the night life… and avoided it. But I did take some pictures.

First, I noted this cool boat. I have no idea if it is a cool boat or a piece of junk, but it looked out of place and fancy in my head. I later found out that Steinlager is a major beer brand here, and this boat won the worlds cup or some important race several times throughout it’s history. So, good on me. I have a good eye for important things. Or, I was just drawn to the name because I have spent my life surrounded by beer people and it is now engrained in my being to notice these things.

Along with their Kiwi Herkeys, these signs are apparently big here. Either Iowa City is mimicking New Zealand, or it is a global trend so people know where they are standing when they take a picture. Either way, I know I am in Auckland today.

I don’t know if this is graffiti, or a brand name, but I have felt a cold coming on since Bali, so this building spoke to me today.

I thought this was possibly the coolest fireplace ever. I wonder if we could incorporate this into our new yard somewhere.

Is it wrong that I just felt my husbands eyes roll and a loud “NO!” screamed through my head?

And if I take one thing from this harbour experience tonight, it will be my new saying. “Good Luck Coconut.”
I did not go in this establishment. I am not even sure it was open, but I enjoyed the rhyme and will attempt to adopt it into my daily life.

And because I am me, and I cannot escape beer in my life, this was on my path back to the hotel. I did not stop, but there it was. Right in the middle of my life, my path, my everything. It was my own fault for looking up and noticing, I know, but there it was.