New Zealand, September 2016
In late September of 2016, I flew from DFW to LAX to Auckland, New Zealand and met up with KC and spent a week there. KC’s wife also went and we worked but had a little time to explore. It was Spring in New Zealand, a little wet and a little chilly but we had a good time. We went to New Zealand in 2006, and we spent most of our 2-week vacation on the South Island. On this trip, I got to see more of the North Island.
We worked with the RNZAF and looked at some of our systems that they are using. We flew down to the Wellington, the capitol of New Zealand, located on the south tip of the North Island to meet with the MOD. On a day off, we drove as far north on the North Island as time allowed and went to the Maori center up in Waitangi.
Click on any photo to see a larger view
It was about 13 hours over water from LAX to Auckland, not any place to land for a long way. We were able to go to the top and bottom of the North Island.
Auckland is on the North Island of New Zealand. It is the largest city but not the capitol.
We stayed at the Rydges Hotel in downtown Auckland, very close to the piers and Viaduct Basin. It was easy walking to a lot of restaurants, shopping and sightseeing.
Photos of Auckland Harbor Area
The photos below were taken of Auckland from across the harbor. We were at Devenport, a short ferry ride or a long drive away from Auckland.
We took a very long drive north to to Waitangi, which is the Treaty Ground where the Maori signed a treaty with England to make New Zealand a colony of England. A lot of history and they also have the Maori Cultural Center there.
The next day we flew south to Wellington, the capitol of New Zealand. It is on the far southern tip of the North Island and is a port, surrounded by mountains. A few months after we returned, Wellington received a lot of damage in an earthquake.
