Auckland, New Zealand Day 3

We decided to do the Included Excursion today because it included a trip to the Auckland War Memorial Museum which we heard was worth the visit. Although we had transversed Auckland at least twice yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised with the fact that the guide/bus driver showed us different places of interest. Even the areas that we had seen yesterday, the guide/bus driver added interesting commentary. It re-emphasized to us just how important having a good guide is to the quality of an excursion.

Besides the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the only other stop was at Bastion Point Lookout. This is an area where there were major conflict between the Maori tribe and the government. The government had made the decision to sell this land to be developed into upscale housing. The Maori Tribe said that this was in violation of the Treaty of Waitangi. After much conflict, the Maori prevailed and the land is now just a wide open field at the top of an extinct volcano.

The next stop was the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The museum is a three story building. The top floor is designated as the War Memorial portion of the museum. This is where Bob, Dale and myself headed. Jenni went spent her time on the second floor.

Similar to the Maritime Museum, the Auckland War Memorial Museum did not disappoint.

On the return to the ship, Bob and I asked to be dropped off at the Weta Workshop. Weta is the company that is responsible for special effects for the Lord of the Rings movies. Touring the workshop was fascinating!

After our 90 minute tour, Bob stopped at a barber shop for a haircut while I walked back to the ship.

We had dinner at the Chef's Table. The meal was Japanese inspired and was absolutely FABULOUS!Read more