Summer in the city ……..

Today we leave the Silver Muse to begin our land adventures in New Zealand. 

There’s an uncomfortable change of gear as we move from one style of holiday to another; I’m never good at transitions, and today it’s made far worse by the most appalling ‘summer’ weather of howling winds and rain. In fairness, it’s not cold, but the temperature does little to lift our mood. 

There’s always a danger of having unrealistic expectations of our travel destinations - though I often find - as was the case with Milford Sound - that the reality far exceeds the visions we’ve built up in our minds. 

In the case of Auckland, we’ve envisioned sunshine and blue sea - our hotel in the redeveloped marina area ideally situated to enjoy harbour side walks and eateries. We’ve planned trips out to islands and to One Tree Hill, yet here we are in grey and wet reality, glad of our waterproofs as we embark on our walking tour of the city. 

In fairness, the rain does lessen, even if the wind’s relentless, and we do get to see everything that’s noted in our guidebook before retreating from the elements and returning to our hotel. 

Looking at the weather forecast, there seems little respite anytime soon - and as for the ship we left this morning? It’s still in its berth, stuck in Auckland due to the current storms. 

So today you have am eclectic collage of some of the shots taken around Auckland - photography continues despite the weather!