Devonport in New Zealand

13 December 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Devonport and Waitemata Harbour from Mount Victoria © Follash

Devonport and Waitemata Harbour from Mount Victoria © Follash

Devonport is a harbourside suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the North Shore, at the southern end of a peninsula that runs southeast from near Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. East of Devonport lies North Head, the northern promontory guarding the mouth of the harbour. The suburb hosts the Devonport Naval Base of the Royal New Zealand Navy, the main facility for the country’s naval vessels, but is best known for its harbourside dining and drinking establishments and its heritage charm. Devonport has been compared to Sausalito, California, US due to its setting and scenery.   read more…

Auckland Central Business District

21 September 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  15 minutes

Aerial view © flickr.com - Craig/cc-by-sa-2.0

Aerial view © flickr.com – Craig/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Auckland central business district (CBD), also called the city centre by Auckland Council, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson. It is New Zealand’s leading financial hub, and the centre of the country’s economy; the GDP of the Auckland Region was $122.557 billion in the year ending March 2020. The CBD is one of the most densely developed places in New Zealand, with many commercial and some residential developments packed into a space of only 433 hectares (1,070 acres). The area is made up of the city’s largest concentration of skyscrapers and businesses. Bounded by several major motorways and by the harbour coastline in the north, it is surrounded further out by mostly suburban areas; it is bounded on the North by Waitematā Harbour, east by Parnell, southeast by Grafton, south by Mount Eden, southwest by Newton, west by Freemans Bay and northwest by Viaduct Harbour.   read more…

Waitemata Harbour in Auckland

28 April 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© flickr.com - Bengt Nyman/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Bengt Nyman/cc-by-2.0

Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is one of two harbours adjoining the city. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city by the shallower waters of the Manukau Harbour. With an area of 70 square miles (180 km²), it connects the city’s main port and the Auckland waterfront to the Hauraki Gulf and the Pacific Ocean. It is sheltered from Pacific storms by Auckland’s North Shore, Rangitoto Island, and Waiheke Island.   read more…

Theme Week New Zealand – The Sky Tower in Auckland

21 July 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Heinz Albers/cc-by-2.5

© Heinz Albers/cc-by-2.5

The Sky Tower is an observation and telecommunications tower located at the corner of Victoria and Federal Streets in the Auckland CBD, Auckland in New Zealand. It is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall, as measured from ground level to the top of the mast, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere and the 23rd tallest tower in the world. It has become an iconic landmark in Auckland’s skyline due to its height and unique design. The tower is part of the SkyCity Auckland casino complex, originally built in 1994–1997 for Harrah’s Entertainment. Several upper levels are accessible to the public, attracting an average of 1,150 visitors per day (over 415,000 per year). The Sky Tower has several upper levels that are accessible to the public: Level 50: Sky Lounge, Level 51: Main Observation Deck, Level 52: Orbit 360° Dining, Level 53: The Sugar Club restaurant, SkyWalk and SkyJump and Level 60: Sky Deck.   read more…

Theme Week New Zealand – Auckland, City of Sails

9 February 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  10 minutes

Auckland Marina © Joseph Watkins/cc-by-sa-3.0

Auckland Marina © Joseph Watkins/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Auckland metropolitan area, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country. It has 1,377,200 residents, which is 31 percent of the country’s population. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world. In Māori Auckland’s names are Tāmaki Makaurau, and the transliterated version of Auckland, Ākarana. The 2011 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Auckland 3rd equal place in the world on its list, while the Economist‘s World’s Most Livable Cities index of 2011 ranked Auckland in 9th place. In 2010, Auckland was classified as a Beta World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University.   read more…

Ady Gil, formerly Earthrace

14 March 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

Ady Gil in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia © www.noodlesnacks.com

Ady Gil in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia © www.noodlesnacks.com

MY Ady Gil (formerly Earthrace) was a 78-foot (24 m), wave-piercing trimaran, which was originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. The vessel was powered by biodiesel fuel, but was also capable of running on regular diesel fuel. It used other eco-friendly materials, such as vegetable oil lubricants, hemp composites, and non-toxic anti-fouling, and had features such as bilge water filters.   read more…

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