And so, on to Auckland - City of Sails

Sunday 19th April 2009 and our stay in Kerikeri has come to an end. We left midday for the coach which was to take us directly to Auckland. There was a short pitstop at Paihia for lunch and lucky for us the rain that had threatened stayed away and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the edge of the water, people-watching!

The journey from there was long and uneventful - the weather was wet and grey but the time soon passed and we arrived in Auckland just after 6pm. We had managed to get a good deal on the 5-star Sky City Grand Hotel (www.skycity.co.nz), right in the city centre and, as it's name suggests within striking distance of the Sky Tower and Sky City.

After checking in we headed out for a bite to eat and enjoyed a delicious pizza, salad and cool beer in one of the cafes in Sky City.

Back at the hotel we took some night shots of the Sky Tower and also had a nightcap on the hotel terrace before bed.