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Auckland - City of Sails There are three major cities in New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Wellington is the capital city and seat of parliament (such as it is!). Christchurch is the biggest city in the South Island and, with the Avon River flowing through its centre and numerous stone buildings, is somewhat English in character. Auckland is where Gloria lives. The places shown in blue on the map relate to wine regions as discussed on her Kiwi Wine page. Known as "The City of Sails", Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and home to over a million people of mixed races largely comprising Pakeha (New Zealanders of European descent), Maori and Polynesian peoples, but with a growing Asian population too. It unfortunately suffers many of the problems typical of cities (viz. crime, traffic jams etc) although, thankfully, scaled down somewhat in comparison to much bigger international cities. Take a look at a Webcam View of Auckland city taken from Devonport directly across the harbour on the North Shore. Auckland's most outstanding feature is its proximity to the sea with the Waitemata harbour to the east and the Manukau to the west. From Gloria's place it's only about five minutes by car to reach eastern beaches. Sailing and boating are popular pastimes. On weekends and Wednesday nights the yachts make an impressive sight racing or cruising for pleasure on the harbour.
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Piha Beach An hour by car will take you across Auckland, to the Tasman Sea on the west coast to a surf beach with black, iron sand called Piha where Gloria spent many holidays in her "formative", adolescent years. *g* A place where you can brave the rips and rolling surf at the beach, or take tranquil tramps to waterfalls amongst tree ferns in the bush-clad hills, Piha is divided into north and south beaches by a rock formation known as Lion Rock because of its resemblance to the king of the jungle. During the summer months Piha bustles with hordes of surfers and sunseekers but in winter, without the crowds, it's a wonderfully exhilarating experience to walk the beach through a fine mist of salt spray when the wind is howling and the wild, grey surf is pounding.
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Coromandel Peninsular Around two and a half hours southeast of Auckland lies the Coromandel Peninsular. A less wild region than Piha and the west coast, but extremely beautiful, Coromandel boasts large numbers of beaches with golden sand and seashells. In general the beaches of the Coromandel offer gentle waves and are safer for swimming and boating. Two of Gloria's favourite places on the Coromandel are Cook's Beach and Lonely Bay. Just a twenty to thirty minute walk through bush, over the hill from Cook's Beach, Lonely Bay is a tiny beach enclosed at each end by startlingly white, wind-carved cliffs. There are no houses, just pohutakawa trees overhanging the shore and masses of sea shells washed up on the beach - a shell collector's paradise. If Gloria could buy a beach, Lonely Bay would be it! *s*
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South Island The South Island of New Zealand deserves a special mention. Where the North Island features undulating, green hills and verdant pastureland, the South Island offers the grandeur and majesty of scenery on a much larger scale. Mountains, glaciers, fiords, sounds and lakes abound. From the beauty of Marlborough's golden sunlight to the crystal waters of Lake Wanaka, the natural splendour of the South Island is breathtaking. The pace of life is slower and the people more genteel that the "finks and wide boys" of Auckland city's rat race. The South Island is a place where Gloria would like to spend more time.
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