First impressions

I watched the cityscape roll by with great interest as we drove into the center of the city from the airport (about a 30 min ride).  I probably won't ever get used to seeing traffic on the other side of the road.  All the greenery made it seem tropical, although the humidity is not that high and the temp was about 70.  Lots of palm trees and blooming trees and bushes.

All the hills make it feel a bit like San Francisco.  I was really glad I didn't need to walk more than two blocks with my suitcase from the shuttle bus stop - and that was down hill!  My suitcase almost ran me over.

The various retail places are a total blend of many different cultures.  Lots of Asian stores/restaurants.  I'm not adept enough to recognize Mandarin vs other Asian languages, but there are definitely different ones.  Some of the stores are European and you still feel the British colonial heritage in little ways- there's Cadbury chocolate all over in the stores;

Many of the signs are bi-lingual - English and Maori.  Makes me wonder if they teach both in the schools.

This set of shops is right by our hotel and I found it very charming.  The buildings had several facades that dated the construction to 1909.l

I can't really pick out a dominant residential architecture.  Delaney and I both label it as "eclectic".  We passed some very posh neighborhoods on the hop-on hop-off bus today, as well as some much older, run down ones.  They blend into each other a bit.  What surprised me was that there are a lot of single residences with small yards, not duplexes pressed right next to each other and the street.

Old and new single residences and apartments are mixed together everywhere. 

David thought it felt a little bit like the Galapagos because of the bright sun and the fact that many of the stone walls are made from black lava stone, like on the Galapagos.  Thank goodness it is cooler here.

We are staying downtown and there are lots of hotels around us.  The pier where the cruise ships come in is a few blocks away.  This means we have seen a lot of tourists today, and tourists come from all over!  We've passed such a mix of humanity is hard to believe.  It really rivals the streets of London, only with a more relaxed feel.

We spent a lot of time going up and down Queens Street (one of the main streets downtown), but it looked like some of the near by streets would have also been fun to explore more.

People walk at a good pace, not too leisurely, not crazy fast.  And I haven't felt like I have to play chicken when approaching someone walking in the opposite direction, both of us just step to the side comfortably.

Although the air was warm (and sun was hot), there was a surprising amount of wind about the city today.  It actually made it a bit chilly walking around at dinner time.

Right drive, double decker buses - there aren't too many places you see these guys on the road.  Always impressive to watch them go around corners.