Auckland
Back in Christchurch it was interesting to see how much the spring flowers had progressed in the week and a half since we were there before. The rose garden in particular was now in full bloom! We also visited Mona Vale, another beautiful garden full of flowers and flowering trees.
Our flight to Auckland took us over several places that were now familiar to us. Auckland itself is a very busy city and a bit of a shock after spending so much time in the quiet wilderness. But we found a quiet place to eat our lunch, watch school children, and feed a few pigeons.
During our last full day in New Zealand we took a ferry across the channel from Auckland to the small quiet town of Devonport. It is a historic naval port and fortification and contains many beautiful old houses. There we walked along the water, climbed to the top of two small hills for great views of the city and the waterways and to see the old battlements.
Back in the city we had a rendezvous with Goshen friends Paul and Kathy for dinner. They have been in this country for a few months on a short sabbatical from Goshen College. It was fun to do our first debriefing of our trip with them!
