Went for a walk from our home for the month, eventually joining the lovely Oakley Creek (Te Auaunga) Path. The trail follows a winding stream wrapped in carefully restored native bush; the city was all around us, yet stayed completely invisible from the floor of the deep gully.
Category: Urban Hikes
Coastal walk: Auckland’s east
On a ferry ride the other day we were staring at the coastline to the east of downtown Auckland and realized we had never visited it. Today we took a bus along the coast then walked back towards downtown, including various beaches, Mission Bay, and a city park named after New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister. Here, towards the end of our walk, we’ve cut through a Māori community to be presented with this view of our destination.
Discovering Half Moon Bay
We scoured the map for a place we had yet to visit, somewhere reachable by ferry that offered a scenic walk and a good lunch. When Dwight spotted a restaurant called Hello Sailor, our trip to Half Moon Bay was settled. We took a bus toward the end of a peninsula, then walked along the coastline to the bay for a fresh fish lunch at the restaurant, which sits directly opposite this enormous marina. Afterward, a ferry carried us back to Auckland.
A walk across New Zealand
Walked across New Zealand from coast to coast today. It was at a narrow point: starting at Auckland Harbor and heading southeast to a harbor on the other side. I took these photos from Maungawhau / Mount Eden, the highest point in the city. The top photo looks back toward where we started this morning, while the bottom photo looks ahead toward this afternoon’s hike. Along the way, we wound through several parks, past Aucklanders out enjoying their Sunday.
One of Auckland’s peninsulas
The greater Auckland area is full of peninsulas, sometimes featuring scenic trails, a ferry port, and great lunch spots. Today was one of those days. We took a fast bus to the start of the trail at Takapuna then walked to Devonport through parks and residential areas. After a late lunch in Devonport, we caught the ferry back to Auckland. In this photo, we’re crossing a mangrove swamp.
Saturday in Auckland
A goal of our month in Auckland is to live like the locals do. Today, we walked a large loop that took us past a lively community center. In one room, there was a flower show; in another, a cake social. A cake social! We opted for a long black and a flat white served from a coffee truck. Later, at our neighborhood French cafe, the server asked if we had moved into the area. Their food is so good, we keep going back.
Exploring Diamond Head
After walking through a tunnel and across the Diamond Head crater floor, we reached the far side where we hiked up to a gun emplacement and were rewarded with a superb view. On our walk back to our VRBO, we stopped for a traditional Hawaiian mixed plate lunch, which, of course, included macaroni salad.
Rainy Day in Osaka
Rain set in for much of the day, but we never had to put on rain jackets. We took a 15-minute bullet train to Osaka, where we walked a few miles through the city’s vast indoor spaces, both above and below ground. A side trip to the Cup Noodles Museum added variety.
Trespassing on a Rail Bridge
Walked across the Mississippi from Nicollet Island on this 1893 Burlington Northern Santa Fe bridge, watching for freight trains, Northstar commuter trains, and cops. We then reversed course back across the bridge to avoid getting stuck in a narrow gap in a fence.
Lawlessness
Caught glimpses of the Mississippi below through cracks and gaps as I wheeled my bicycle across the bridge. The railroad company had installed a steel grid walkway for their workers over rotting and missing boards. A sign that once stated “No Trespassing” exuded lawlessness.