Devonport

It was another beautiful day in paradise, so we thought we would take the ferry over to Devonport which is on the North Shore of Auckland. This historical maritime village has many old colonial houses and is home to the Royal New Zealand National Navy Bases which I believe has a total of 10 ships (hey, who would want to attack New Zealand?).

We took a tour around Devonport with a driver who was slightly crazy and seem to do his best to take the van just inches from the edge of the road at every turn. Since the drop off at most corners was 50' or so, Susan felt the need to dig her fingers into my arm to help keep us from going over the edge. We went to the top of Mt. Victoria (Takarunga in Maori) which gave us spectacular views of Devanport, Downtown Auckland, and the bay.

There are a number of small galleries and other retail and a vast array of restaurants. We eat lunch in a quiet little place that served us the largest sandwich I have ever seen. It was like an open face sandwich with a salad right on top served on a platter. Unfortunately, I did not want to be rude, so I ate the entire meal with a smile (very taste as well). The weather was warm and sunny so the ferry ride was great both ways. When we come back, this is a place we need to stay.