A day in downtown Auckland

This is my second downtown trip to the heart of Auckland city. I decided to take the ferry in from Devonport. This was the morning after the largest ever earthquake hit Japan and the corresponding 10m tsunami that ensued. What a horrific event, my heart goes out to those impacted by the natural disaster.

On the Saturday morning, the tsunami threat for NZ was downsized and eventually removed so I decided to hit the ferry instead of driving into downtown. Parking there is not as cheap as you would think.

I strolled up Queen Street and browsed any shops which perked my interest. I stopped by the Britomart Farmer's Markets. There are about 20 stalls selling fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, relishes, cheese, Italian and French pastries and there was even a live band singing popular music. Because it was a lovely and sunny day, there were quite a few city dwellers browsing and shopping at the markets.

     

Britomart Farmers Market

A bicycle with two shopping baskets.

Lunch was at Elliot Stables. I ordered a Berlin Bratwurst topped with caramelised onions and curried tomato sauce. I bought it from Frankies Wurstbude in Elliot Stables.

 

I did struggle to finish the German sausage roll. As you can see the bread roll was rather large. I must say that I did enjoy it and the curried tomato sauce was really quite nice.

As I headed back to the ferries I got caught up with the St. Patrick's parade. There are quite a few Irish living in Auckland. There were many people dressed in greens, some wearing green hats and/or green badges. That was a nice touch to a pleasant afternoon in the city.