AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

North Island

Auckland is a delightful city with friendly people, lots of parks and immaculately clean and litter free.. Auckland is known as the city of sail, because there are so many boats. The largest  of  the  6-7 marinas in the city houses 2000 boats and there are many boat garages that house 200 boats. In greater Auckland there  are an estimated 70,000 boats, both motor and sail. New Zealanders are physically active and sport oriented. There are 102 beaches within an hour drive of the city.

Mountain ranges and hilly terrain dominate the landscape. A massive mountain range, known as the Southern Alps, extends 2300 kilometers and has 223 named peaks. Mt. Eden, at 643 feet above sea level is the city’s highest point. It provided  a marvelous 360° view of the city. On a clear day one can see Tasmania on the horizon. The Tasman Sea is the body of water separating New Zealand from Australia.

            We learned that in the tenth century Polynesians arrived from Hawaii. There was abundant food supplies and fertile soils and by the twelfth century there were established settlements in most of the country. Dutch navigator Abel Tasman discovered the area in 1642 and gave it its name. In 1769, Captain James Cook and his crew were the first Europeans to set foot on New Zealand soil.

All native trees are evergreen, and there are many varieties. They provide a lush greenness all year. All the deciduous trees have been imported and planted. The native pokutukawa tree is known as the Christmas tree because it has a mass of red color in December. There are many active volcanic craters in the country and earthquakes of varying degrees are fairly common.

            The city has many lovely parks. When I asked the driver if there was a floral clock in town he dove out of his way to a large park to show me the clock. Now that is friendly!

The sunken gardens along the waterfront at the Savage memorial monument provided a marvelous view of the harbor. The gardens were spectacular. Michael Savage was New Zealand’s first labor prime minister and was attributed with the major influences that pulled New Zealand out of the depression. He died in 1940. 

The flowers were outstanding everywhere, and  at the  Conservatory and Botanical Gardens I saw many plants I’d never seen before.

As a respite from sightseeing and for a little exercise we stopped at a swinging suspension bridge which was lots of fun to walk. Fine wire on the sides and overhead pretty much covered the bridge for safety reasons. It was a long way down to the bottom, and the bridge did swing! The only casualty was a hat blown off into the ravine.

There is much to see and do in Auckland and individual adventures will be covered separately in other posts.

A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX EASTER

                  A Sunday Surprise

We happened to be in Kiev for Easter where big festivities were planned for the breaking of the fast. Walking into the restaurant on the sunny Sunday morning we accepted a glass of wine and were greeted with Christos voskrese (Christ is risen). We were unable to respond in Ukrainian. We were then directed to a nearby table holding decorated hard-boiled eggs and paska,  a special decorated bread which is always torn and never cut. The breakfast buffet held special Easter fare. One of our gals understood the language and translated much of the food for us. This was a total surprise and a real treat.

After breakfast we headed to the Lavra Monastery where long lines of people stood quietly with their baskets of food to be blessed by the priest. Because of the crowds and the holiday the monastery caves were closed. That was disappointing as I was looking forward to seeing the caves and mummies.

 The magnificent 11^th century Cave Monastery is a collection of gold-domed churches and underground labyrinths lined with faithful monks who were mummified by the dry soil. Monks who lived in natural caves with the goal of spreading Christianity founded it in 1051. Spread over two rolling hills southeast of the center of Kiev, and located along the Dnipro River the Monastery of the Caves (Perchersk Lavra) is an active, functioning monastery compound containing restored churches and towers, as well as a printing works and miles of maze-like underground tunnels where ancient crypts hold ecclesiastical treasures.  For centuries Orthodox Christians from throughout Europe traveled on pilgrimages to the famous monastery. Many compared Kiev to Rome as a religious destination.    

Entering though the main entrance our guide led us to a complex diagram to explain what was where as everything was written in Ukrainian. She said, “This 11^th century (1051) monastery consists of 86 buildings and eleven churches. At its zenith 1200 monks lived and studied here. Now there are 100 monks. Straight ahead is Holy Assumption Church. It has been damaged and rebuilt several times since 1073, but in 1941 Nazi planes reduced it to a pile of rubble. In 2000 this present cathedral was rebuilt in the same spot as the original one. There is a concert hall in the church.”

Moving past the crowds she continued, “Although similar, don’t confuse this bell tower with the one we saw yesterday. This bell tower was built in 1744 by a German, after he won a competition.  At 96 meters (104-feet) it is the tallest monumental structure in Ukraine and is the center of the monastery. It consists of four stories. A library was housed in the first two stories. Three of the original 13 bells remain on the third story and the clock is on the last story. There are 239 steps leading up to the top.”

Monks have a three-year probationary period. Monks do not marry but priests do. The monastery was closed in 1922, became a museum, and reopened in 1988. Proudly our guide stated, “Gorbachev came for the occasion.”