Coast to Coast Walk - Auckland

December 15, 2014

Today we decided to do the coast to coast walk because the weather was pretty good.  It was cloudy, which was nice because it wasn't too hot for the walk.  We walked from the west coast of Auckland to the east coast of Auckland.  The walk was a ten mile walk, but we ended up walking much further because we got lost a few times and we did a few side trips along the way. These were the signs marking the way...

We set off at 9:30 a.m. and crossed quite a few streets while we were walking through downtown.  Jason took this picture of the crossing because he loved the fact that pedestrians could cross diagonally.

After leaving downtown, we walked up through a park that had these gorgeous trees.  We  just had to stop and climb them!

It was amazing to be walking through a residential neighborhood and suddenly see the Skytower in the distance.  

We walked past the University of Auckland business school and then up through Auckland Domain where there were several sculptures along the way.   I managed to get a picture of David and the kids walking through the park, it was just lovely.

There were also loads of these pohutukawa trees.   They are fondly referred to as Christmas Trees because their red blooms open up right around Christmas time.

Next we found ourselves walking up to the Auckland Museum and I was so happy because when we were there yesterday we didn't have time to visit the gardens, so we decided to take a little side trip.  We visited the Cool House where we took loads of pictures of all of the flowers in bloom.

Then we went into the hot house that felt like a sauna and had all of the tropical plants including the carnivorous ones.  After that we walked around the fern forest before continuing on our coast to coast walk.

Walking through the grounds of the Museum, which are fairly extensive, we got a bit lost as the signage for the walk leaves much to be desired.  However, after a few attempts and some very nice locals helping us out, we were soon back on the trail.

Our next stop was Mt. Eden, with an elevation of 643 ft.  We actually did not hike all the way to the top of this one.  W hiked most of the way, but as we came close to this on yesterday's bus tour, we found out that the buses can't go all the way to the summit.  Our bus driver pointed out that pointed out that there was a free shuttle for those wanting to ride to the top....so we took a short diversion off the coast-to-coast route to find the shuttle.  We are so glad we did, as not only did it save quite a hike up, but the driver was great. He talked about how this hill was where thousands of Maori lived on terraces that they built.  They stored food in huge craters at different points all the way up the hillside, so if they were attacked they could retreat up the hill and still have lots of food.  The driver also showed us how to reconnect with the coast-to-coast route on the way back from the top as apparently it was very poorly marked.  Riding to the top made the kids so very happy!

We took panoramic pictures of the views.  The crater in this picture is a volcanic crater.  There are lots of volcanic ash cones all around Auckland.

You can also see where we will be going next, One Tree Hill, which is the hill in the distance with the obelisk on top.  It looks so far away!  It was really windy on top, at times my braid was blowing completely sideways!

You can see how far we have walked already because we started at the shore beyond downtown and the Sky Tower.

On the way to One Tree Hill we walked across this cricket pitch.  It was so lovely, and it was straight up noon, so we decided to stop for lunch.  We had packed ham and swiss sandwiches, which just hit the spot!  A lovely little respite...

Then it was down hill through residential areas and on to One Tree Hill which is in Cornwall Park.  This is the entrance to the park...

Then there was a long climb up hill again.  It amazed me how many sheep there were right in the middle of the city...

Finally at the summit, it was really windy!  One Tree Hill: elevation 597 ft.  You can see the Sky Tower in the distance which really gives you a good idea of how far we have walked. I also started sneezing and my eyes began to itch.  You can see my left eye beginning to swell...  Allergies, ugh!

This was on our way out, people had made messages with the rocks among all of the sheep.

  

Next we went through Jellicoe Park which has a really nice stone entrance. You can see into the park and how lovely it is.  We can see why this is rates as one of the best city walks in the world!  Beautiful!

Then it was back down to sea level.  When we got to the end of the Coast to Coast walk we expected it to end at the bus or train station. However, it just ends at the water, and there is no "you are done" sign!   We had to walk into downtown Onehunga and ask where to go.  We finally found the bus station and luckily it was a short wait for a bus back into Auckland.  We were all so exhausted that it was nice to sit for the 40 minutes it took to get back to downtown.  All in all we figured we probably walked around 12 miles.

Once back, we relaxed a bit and then David and I went out for a coffee at this place we found down a side street in downtown Auckland.  It was in an unfinished area with cement and brick and exposed pipes and wiring called the Imperial Cafe.

Then it was off to the grocery store which is really close by the apartment.  We found this Montana wine, made in New Zealand, so we just had to get it! Dinner in the apartment tonight as everyone is really tired of walking.