Auckland and Leaving New Zealand

After we left Wellington, a port we really enjoyed, we had a day at sea. Peggy had some pork dish the night sailing from Wellington which caused her and her intestinal tract (and I) a fair bit of grief for the next couple of days. The day at sea was spent in bed and I was contemplating seeking on-shore medical assistance once we hit Auckland. I am relieved to say she rallied and was able to get up and about in Auckland with no ill effects.
Auckland is situated on an isthmus near the north end of the North Island with the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Tasman sea on the other. There are several volcanic craters and hills/islands in the region in a city of over 1M. The port layout reminded me of Sydney and we 'played it safe' taking a hop on-hop off bus tour around the city as Peggy was still short of energy. We visited Mt Eden which provides great 360 degree vistas of the city an surrounding areas.
After lunch aboard the Star, we returned to the city and caught the ferry ($10NZ ret) to Devonport, a 12 minute run across the harbor. The town is a nice beachside bedroom community and we walked the main street and alonig the boardwalk back to the ferry pier. Unfortunately, being Sunday and late in the afternoon, most of the shopes had closed for the day. WE returned to the ship for a buffet dinner followed by a Maori folkloric dance in the Princess theatre ending with an energetic Hawka.

Today Peggy is back to her old self and we challenged the trivia gods once again. I am wearing a Green 'Australia' Polo shirt, now that we are well clear of the Kiwi's.

Formal night tonight and we are dining with Dan and Harriet, Iain and Amanda, two couples we met a few days ago. We reach Suva, Fiji on Wednesday.