29 May 2011:

View east from the tower. There are lots of small beach communities in that direction. I lived in one of the buildings just past and to the left of the park (and University of Auckland) for the first half of my time there. The building to the right and on the hill is the museum. I am going to sorely miss living in such a beautiful and laid-back city.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

View of some of the non-quarried volcanic cones in Auckland city. They have awesome large craters at the top, and home to herds of grazing sheep and cattle in fields that you can walk through - just make sure the gate is properly closed.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

One of New Zealand's two largest warships (HMNZS Te Mana or Te Kaha) docked in the naval base. Yeah, it took me a long time to find it too when it was first pointed out to me.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

Close-up of Devonport, where I lived. My daily commute involved me riding my bike between the two volcanic cones along the beach, and taking a ferry from the pier in the photo.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

The Sky Tower is home to the Sky Walk (where you walk around the outside of the tower), and SkyJump where you can jump from the tower, guided by cables! The logo of Media Design School's (where I taught at) new home is clearly visible in the centre of the photo.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

View south from the tower. Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, home to a third of the 4.3 million people in the country. It is situated along a narrow isthmus of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. Hauraki, north of Auckland, is the Pacific, while Manukau Harbour, to the south (visible in this photo), is part of the Tasman.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

Close-up view of Auckland Harbour Bridge. Apparently, they didn't plan it big enough, and had to be widened using "clip-ons" just 10 years after opening, which caused quite a bit of criticism.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

Viaduct Harbour, where the large racing yatchs dock. There are lots of bars and clubs there, and so many memories of drinkin. Auckland Harbour Bridge is in the background.
Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

It was clear enough to see Little Barrier Island that day too.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

Another view of the Hauraki Gulf, with Motutapu, Devonport ferry terminal (which I commuted from every day), North Head, and Waikeke Island in the picture. You can even see the Coromandel Penninsula in the distance. Known as the "City of Sails," there are always many sailboats in the harbour, as well as ferries to the islands and peninsulas.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

View of downtown Auckland. So many great memories of working and getting drunk there.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

A view of Hauraki Gulf, the harbour Auckland downtown rests on. The tip of the spit of land is where I lived for the second half of my time in New Zealand, in Cheltenham Beach, Devonport. The volcanic cone behind is Rangitoto, formed about 600 years ago.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

What the array of viewfinders looks like. This is on the upper observation deck of the tower, the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

Looking through a series of cool view tubes that point out sites of interest. I believe this one is pointing out a marine (wildlife?) rescue centre or something.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

A cool area where you can feel like you're standing in mid-air, surrounded by glass.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

The new glass elevator floor in the Sky Tower.

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html

29 May 2011:

With my one day in town, I decided to use my ticket to the Sky Tower from grabone.co.nz (the NZ equivalent of Groupon at the time).

Rough notes:
http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-nz-to-sf-day-16.html