NEW ZEALAND :- Sydney>>Auckland
12th Day: 17.03.2016
My international flight from Sydney Airport
to Auckland is at 08:45. I am planning to be at the airport around 06:45. The “Airport Hotel Sydney” which is located
at 185 Princes HWY in Arncliffe has
only 5 minutes’ drive distance from the Airport. The Redy2Go shuttles adequate to my flight schedule is 05:45 and
06:45. I took a minor risk and booked the shuttle service for 06:45. The Hotel
reception is arranging this very well. One way service is for 8.-AUD which is
very reasonable.
I woke up 15 min before the shuttle came to
the hotel. Together with some other hotel clients we got into the shuttle and
it departed exactly at 06:45. The road running in front of the hotel is full
with cars and the queuing lights are obviously exciting me.
Our driver used some other routes and
by-passed this traffic queue successfully and we had been at the airport before
07:00 o’clock.
I walked to the check-in counter and
finished my check-in. Every process including the security control and border
police procedures were finished in 15 minutes. The lounges and the waiting
halls are very comfortable and big at Sydney Airport. There are a lot of food
lounges and shops.
I sat at a cafeteria and ate a toasted
sandwich and drank a cappuccino. Breakfast was wonderful. The flight is by
Emirates Airlines. It is again a big plane (A380) like I flew from Dubai to
Perth a couple of weeks ago. It took only 3 ¼ hours to Auckland. After so many
flight this long trips are no more concerning me. There is 2 hours’ time
difference between Sydney and Auckland. When we landed at Auckland Airport it
was 14:10. After passing through police control I asked for available
transportation to the city. There is an easy and well organized bus connection.
They call it “SkyBus”. One way costs 16.-NZD. I suggest to change money in the
terminal while waiting for the luggage. Up to 400.-USD they charge a fixed
rate. Therefore it is feasible to change as much as necessary.
The bus brings the passengers to the city
and it takes around 1 hour. There are 5-6 bus stops in the city. The hotel
where I am going to stay is Albion Hotel
at 119 Hobson Str.
It is at the junction of the Hobson and
Wellesley Streets. The bus uses the Queen Street which is the main street of
Auckland. This one goes down to the kay. I had to get out at the bus station 3.
But the lady at the airport informed me wrongly and said that station 5 is
closer to my hotel. I had to walk 10 minutes to my hotel. Doesn’t matter, it is
sometimes good for being fit and healthy.
The ground floor of the hotel is operating
as a bar. Looks cozy. I stepped in to the bar and the young guy at the bar
completed my check-in in a few minutes and he gave me the key of my room. I
took also a lager beer for 8.-AUD and climbed up to the 1st level to
my room. It is not well enough; is clean and arranged as neat as possible but
was not good. Anyway I will stay only one night, it doesn’t make me down.
After one hour I got out and started to
walk down to the Nelson Str where
there is the AVIS Car Hire. It took only 4 minutes. Next day I need to come here in order to pick the rental car which I had booked one month ago. I have a plan to make a tour
on the North Island. Walking dawn the Nelson Street I came to the quay. I walked on the Queen Street which is the main street of Auckland and there are several Souvenier Shops close the the end. The main bus station for publc transportation is also located at this end of the Queen Street. I got in a shop to buy some souveniers to my friends and we talked with the nice indonesian girl there. She said that she is permanently living in Indonesia but for a few months working in Auckland. As she captured that I am from Turkey she proudly mentioned that the Turkish TV serial "Hayat devam ediyor" (=Life continues on) is one of her favorites.
 |
| Ferry Building, Quay Street, Auckland |
 |
| Quay Street from the Princes Wharf, Auckland |
 |
| Ferry Port at the Queens Wharf, Auckland |
I walked around there at the sea side.
There is an extension of the land on which is located Hilton Hotel Auckland. It
is named “Princess Wharf. I made some pictures there. There are a few bars and
restaurants having a nice view over the sea.
 |
| People hurrying to the ferry, Queens Wharf |
 |
| One of the shopping arcades, Queens Street |
 |
| Maritime Museum at the Quay Street, seen from Princes Wharf. |
Taken from Google :
“Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile
Pádraig,
"the Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious
celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461),
the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion(especially
the Church of Ireland),[4] the Eastern Orthodox Church, and
theLutheran Church. “
After a while I decided to eat at the
restaurant “Crab Shack”. It is a big restaurant and I sat at the bar. I ordered
a crab which need some tools while eating it. They call it on the menu “Crab in
the mud” and is boiled with a sauce full of black pepper. Beer is served in a glas jar.
 |
| Princes Wharf with Crab Shack |
 |
| At the bar in the Crab Shack, Auckland |
Most of the restaurants, bars and cafés
provide wireless Wi-Fi connection to their customers. This is very practical
for the guests. After the “crab” dinner which is a hard work but very tasty I
moved in the direction to my Hotel Albion. The street which is adjacent to the
Princes (?) Wharf which is going up is the Hobson Street. There is roughly 1 km
distance to the Hotel.
Around 22:00 o’clock I was in the Hotel and
fetched my notebook from the room and sat in the bar and took a lager beer and
started to write my log. There was live music and a lot of people chatting.
After uploading two more days’ memo to my blogspot I went to the room in order
to sleep.
Tomorrow starts my round trip on the North
Island of NZ with the rental car.
Good night !!
Crab güzel görünüyor...
YanıtlaSil