Auckland

Sunday morning, we awoke to see the cloud hovering over the bay, obscuring our view of the Harbour Bridge, and of the top of the SkyTower. Walking around the main streets after checking out, Mum and I had studied up on the things to do in Auckland for our last day of our trip, and thus, looked forward to a slow day!

We walked down to the piers, and decided on a ferry across to Devonport, on the North Shore. Filling in time, we took up the tour of the little town, with a very friendly local tour guide. From this vantage point on the harbour, we watched the cloud cover move over, away from, and again all over the cityscape of Auckland, hiding the iconic SkyTower for much of the morning.

Heading back to the city itself, we walked over to Viaduct Harbour, before finding that we could finally see to top of the tower, and deciding that we could make the trip up to the (second) highest structure in the Southern Hemisphere, at last.

Mum and I rode the scary lift up to the viewing decks, selecting both levels, to get the full view. We wandered around up there, overlooking every direction of Auckland and it's harbour.

Grabbed our bags and finding a shuttle, we traveled out to the airport, me giving myself a jab on the way out in preperation for the flight home. Checking in, and going through Customs, I made a special request for a stamp in my passport, filling the last empty page in my trusty companion which is now technically finished (less than 6 months left on it).

Our trip over as we touched down in Melbourne, with Mum and I both with colds, but at least still speaking to each other!