We pulled into Auckland harbor early this morning, a sunny spring day. Amid all the packing and logistics of disembarking our two-week home, the Heritage Adventurer, we said our goodbyes to new friends and colleagues. Because our flight was not until the afternoon, I decided to make a visit to the computer-science department at the University of Auckland. I enjoyed the chance to stretch my legs, walking a dozen blocks up the streets and through the beautiful Prince Albert Park, to reach the university campus.
For my first meeting, the professor kindly gave me a quick walking tour of the campus, which is a mix of shiny modern buildings and older utilitarian buildings; unlike any U.S. university, though, their campus included two formal marae (Māori meeting places) suitable for formal cultural gatherings.
I found myself wishing we had a few more days, so we could more thoroughly explore Auckland and the surrounding area. (We had more time when we visited here back in 2009.)
It is remarkable how much warmer it feels here in the north end of the country, relative to our first days in the southwest fjords. That is, of course, because New Zealand spans a remarkably wide range of latitudes. To give you a sense, here’s a map of New Zealand superimposed on a map of the eastern United States (from thetruesize.com). It’s as if the southern fjords were in Atlanta and the Auckland area was in central New York!
Well, not really, because of course New Zealand should be “upside down” relative to the United States, if we want to think of it from a climate perspective. Take a look at my 2009 post, where I included a map that flips the east coast of the United States and aligns it at similar latitudes, to see what I mean. The southwestern fjords are at a latitude similar to Maine and Quebec; Auckland is at the same latitude as Chesapeake Bay.
Index of posts
- Dusky Sound
- Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound
- southern islands
- Dunedin
- Christchurch
- Marlborough Sound
- Wellington
- Waiotapu thermal park
- Te Pā Tū cultural experience
Photo galleries
David Kotz 
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