MyAuckland 2017
I was privileged to be part of Lesley Whyte Photography's #MyAuckland VIP Day Tour on Saturday 30 September 2017.
Travels Through A Lens
Trips Around the World
New Zealand
I love New Zealand or Aotearoa (‘land of the long white cloud’). It is a strikingly beautiful set of islands. We have visited North and South Island several times.
MyAuckland 2017: Day 3
On my last day in Auckland (Day 3), I wandered around High St and Queen St. Sad to be flying back later in the day!
MyAuckland 2017: City at Night
Auckland at night is a strange city at night full of wondrous visions that I never encounter during the day.
MyAuckland 2017: Mt Wellington
Sunset over the volcanic peak of Mt Wellington, overlooking the suburb of Stonefields built on the site of an old quarry.
MyAuckland 2017: Mission Bay
Mission Bay is a seaside suburb on Tamaki Drive with a nice fountain and some shops. Nearby is Bastion Point.
MyAuckland 2017: Wynyard Quarter
Located just to the west of Viaduct Harbour, Wynyard Quarter has been progressively converted for residential apartments.
MyAuckland 2017: Devonport
Devonport is a harbourside suburb on the North Shore of Auckland, and hosts the Naval Base. It has great views of the harbour into the city.
MyAuckland 2017: Riverhead
Had lunch at a place called The Landing at Riverhead, where Lesley spent her childhood. Best steak I have ever eaten - perfectly cooked.
MyAuckland 2017: Muriwai Beach
Muriwai Beach featuring black sand and a gannet colony on a large rock. We were there at low tide and the weather was overcast and rainy.
MyAuckland 2017: Auckland City
From Albert Park, I explored Auckland City, starting from Khartoum Place where there is a memorial to the Women's Suffrage movement.
MyAuckland 2017: Auckland University
Auckland University is located next to Albert Park. It is the largest, most comprehensive and highest-ranked university in New Zealand.
MyAuckland 2017: Albert Park and Art Gallery
Landed in Auckland last night. I had the morning to myself, so decided to explore Albert Park and the Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
Lord of the Rings (LOTR) Tour of New Zealand 2004
We did a Lord of the Rings Tour of New Zealand in April 2004 as part of Red Carpet Tours and visited many of the film locations.
The “Action Figure” Version of the Lord of the Rings
The "Action Figure" Version of the Lord of the Rings features action figurines re-enacting various scenes from the movies during our tour.
LOTR 2004 Day 11: Queenstown to Auckland
Today is the "optional activities" day of the tour before we flew from Queenstown to Auckland. Some of us went on the Dart River Safari.
LOTR 2004 Day 10: Te Anau to Queenstown
We travelled from Te Anau to Queenstown, stopping by at Deer Park Heights, Arrowtown, Twelve Mile Delta, and Amon Hen.
LOTR 2004 Day 9: Te Anau to Milford Sound & back
Today is a LOTR free day, as we travelled from Te Anau to visit the famous Milford Sound, and then returned back to Te Anau.
LOTR 2004 Day 8: Cromwell to Te Anau
We left Cromwell to head off towards Mavora Lakes. In the afternoon, we arrived at the lakeside town of Te Anau.
LOTR 2004 Day 7: Twizel to Cromwell
We left Twizel for Ben Ohau Station, then a pine forest (Flight to the Ford). We also visited Bonspiel Station and finished up at Cromwell.
LOTR 2004 Day 6: Christchurch to Twizel
We left Christchurch to visit the Courts of Edoras (actually, Mt. Sunday). After that, we continued to Twizel via the beautiful Lake Tekapo.
LOTR 2004 Day 5: Wellington to Christchurch
Today we flew out of Wellington to Christchurch. After that, we wandered around and visited the Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens.
LOTR 2004 Day 4: Wellington to Featherston & back
We explored Wellington and Featherston today, including WETA, Dry Creek Quarry (Helms Deep/Minas Tirith) and Hutt River (River Anduin).
LOTR 2004 Day 3: Ohakune to Wellington
We left Ohakune to visit Mokai Gravity Canyon, then Mt Victoria and watched Return of the King at Embassy Theatre in Wellington.
LOTR 2004 Day 2: Rotorua to Ohakune
We left Rotorua and stopped at Wai-O-Tapu, Huka Falls, Taupo, Meads Wall, and finished in Okahune to sleep in Billy Boyd's bed.
LOTR 2004 Day 1: Auckland to Rotorua
We visited the Hobbiton Movie Set, and then stopped at Rotorua where we went to the Tamaki Maori Village for a traditional Maori Welcome.
LOTR 2004 Day 0: Auckland
We arrived at Auckland on Good Friday around 9pm. We spent Saturday around the city, and Sunday around Takapuna.