Don’t visit Auckland - The City of Sails

If anyone tells you to only spend 1 day in Auckland, I challenge you to think again. There are so many things to do and see, both at a price and for free. Volcanoes, beaches, open-air movies, boating, diving, aquariums and bush walks are just some of the activities we got up to...

A great place to start is One Tree Hill. One of Auckland’s 53 extinct volcanoes with 360 degree views over the city. (It also inspired the U2 song of the same name.) It’s locally known as No Tree Hill as chainsaw-weilding protesters attacked the only tree on top of the hill eventually killing it.

Views from the top of One Tree Hill

We spent a relaxing 45 minutes or so taking in the uninterrupted views from the top. Sir John Logan Campbell, one of the first Europeans to settle in Auckland and a mayor of Auckland is buried here. And on the way down, we saw some of the wild birds and animals living in the surrounding Cornwall Park.

Crazy looking pheasants

Rabbits hiding

About 45 minutes drive from the centre of Auckland are a number of west coast beaches - Muriwai, Bethells, Piha and Karekare. Completely different from the gentle east coast beaches, these are exposed to the winds and often have powerful waves, large swells and strong currents. Take care if you decide to go for a swim as it only takes a few seconds to get stuck in a rip and swept out to sea. The beaches are also popular with surfers hoping to catch the perfect wave. And watch out for the black sand. Kris learned the hard way about how hot black sand can get in the middle of the day so remember your jandles! 

Muriwai was our destination. Not only for some beach time, but also for the gannet colony that breeds here in summer. In January and February, the flat, exposed tops of the cliffs are covered in large, white birds with bright yellow heads sitting on eggs, soft, grey, fluffy chicks or beside larger fledglings. 

Muriwai - black sand, hot sun, cool water

The cliff tops covered in birds

Dealing with a noisy chick

Time goes quickly watching the birds go about their daily life. The adults circling around trying to land next to their mate without getting attacked by their aggressive neighbours. The young demanding food. A fledgling flapping it’s underdeveloped wings hoping to get off the ground. And don’t forget ice-cream afterwards!

Fledgling determined to fly soon

Hokey Pokey icecream - a NZ icon

Throughout the summer months, Auckland has free movies in one of the many parks scattered across the city. Every Friday and Saturday night a different movie is screened. Crowds turn up early to claim their piece of grass, eat a picnic and enjoy a glass of wine or beer. We met up with some friends to take a nostalgic run down memory lane and watch Crocodile Dundee. Actually, it was less about the tacky 80’s movie and more about sitting on the grass, surrounded by people and catching up on 2 years of life.

Hanging out with friends in the park...

...with the movie projected onto an old silo

There are plenty of forest and bush walks to do all over Auckland. We headed to the Hunua Ranges on the southern boundary of Auckland one afternoon. The falls are about 20 metres high and quite dramatic after heavy rain (not so much this day). There is also a 1.5 hour bush walk (with a few steep hills) which takes you to a dam where some of Auckland’s water supply originates. With views stretching out across the ranges and plenty of native birds to spot, I think it’s a very relaxing place to spend an afternoon.

The Hunua falls

Through the bush

NZ Native Wood Pigeon (Kereru)

NZ Native Tui

The dam with some of Auckland's water supply

Framed touristy shot

This was only the start of the things we got to do and see in Auckland. Head along to my next post with some of the rest of what we got up to!

Exploring Khao Sok National Park - above and below water

Early morning at Khao Sok

If you’re after an adventure where you get to explore the murky green depths of a lake and underwater caverns, take a ride on a bamboo raft to a cave filled with coral-like formations, marvel at the moon rising over towering limestone cliffs, can handle rustic, floating accommodation and still want a bit of relaxing time, then a trip to Khao Sok is for you.

So relaxing!

The fun group we took to explore Khao Sok

Our adventure started by cramming 13 guests, 3 guides and a driver into a long-tail boat and putting along the lake for 45 minutes. Vertical limestone cliffs surrounded us, arms of water disappeared in all directions and dead trees poked out of the water. Then we got our first glimpse of the floating ‘village’ that was to be our home for the next 2.5 days. 

Huge limestone cliffs are everywhere

Dead trees...

Plern Prai Rafthouse

Welcome along

New concrete and wooden bungalows lined one side of Plern Prai Rafthouse. Original, rickety bamboo huts stretched out on the other. We were lucky enough to get the bamboo huts which simply reeked of character. Thatched flaps serve as doors and windows, I could glimpse the stars through the cracks in the hut at night and a friendly frog visited me a couple of times. Despite having no power, (except for some lights run by a generator for a few hours in the evening) the huts were warm and cosy.

The original rustic huts

Pretty basic but pretty cool inside

Walk along a slippery log to reach the bathrooms!

The newer chalets

The happy dog (with such an attitude!)

The grumpy dog

We ditched our gear and headed off for our first dive. Catfish Cove is eerie. A cavern slopes back under the island with the back wall eventually disappearing into inky blackness. Above us, stalactites penetrated down, while dead trees reached up at us from the murky depths. A couple of catfish skirted around us, following the wall towards the back of the cavern and quickly disappeared from sight. Khao Sok may not have the abundance of fish like the Similans, but it is still an intriguing place to dive. And it’s well worth looking up as you ascend to see the cliffs shimmering through the warm water.

Our second dive the next morning was directly underneath the floating village. Under the dining area, we were surrounded by gurami which get fed leftovers after every meal. 

Gurami at feeding time

They must have known we wouldn't feed them though and kept a reasonable distance away. Diving under the huts is a good lesson in navigation. The visibility drops to a couple of metres, it gets darker and the bottom is about 40 metres below. But if you follow your compass (or swim on your back and follow the boardwalk), within a couple of minutes, the bottom slopes up and you can dive along the edge of the island. Weed grows up in tall strands and silty decomposing plant debris covers the bottom. I spotted a few tiny zebra barbs in amongst the weed and an occasional catfish cruised by.

Low vis, eerie sights, intriguing diving

Circling gurami...hoping for a feed...

And with such low visibility and eerie conditions diving at Khao Sok, it’s OK to hold hands with your buddy like a couple of my team did!

In the afternoon, we took another long tail ride, hiked through the jungle (passing several discarded, dead dirt bikes) then jumped on a bamboo raft to reach Coral Cave. 

Satellite and power connections...not sure about the water though...

Exercise...ahhh

Local wildlife along the track

Dead dirt bike

On the bamboo raft

Coral Cave is only small but has incredible rock formations that look just like budding coral (or elephants if you let your imagination run wild!) It was easy to spend nearly an hour examining all the little nooks and crannies.

Imagine this filled with water...

Elephants in the coral cave

The crew

Jan was excited...I just pretended ;)

While the accommodation is basic, the lake and national park is anything but. Sunset cast soft pink light across the lake and dusky shadows through the valleys. I sat on my bungalow deck and watched the full moon rise majestically over the jagged mountain outline. The hills and trees are reflected perfectly in the lake on a calm morning. The air is clean and fresh. And if you’re up for an early morning swim, it’s only a few steps from your bed to dive into the warm water. 

Moonrise over the mountains

Perfect reflections

The group was so much fun. They got into everything and they welcomed me into their fold with open arms. I absolutely loved Khao Sok and am really looking forward to getting back there again sometime.

Dinner time

With Asha and Aly

Another piece of paradise explored