Part 2: Walk to Mission Bay - November 4, 2016

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The day after Phillip and I both arrived, we decided to take a walk down the Eastern side of Auckland's City Center, which would take us through parts of Auckland that we had not yet explored. The first place that we would come to is Symonds Street Cemetery. The cemetery has multiple nature trails that wind through the grounds, allowing visitors to see many of the grave sites, some of which that   date back as far back as the mid 1800's. The cemetery is also subdivided into sections based on which religion that deceased was a member of.

One of the main grave sites to be found in Symonds Street Cemetery is the burial site of William Hobson, the first governor of New Zealand when it was a colony of the United Kingdom.

One of the effects of modernization in the area came with the construction of the Southern Motorway, which went through part of the cemetery grounds. Because of this, many of those laid to rest in the area were exhumed, and relocated, and in the cemetery they created a new memorial to pay tribute to those who had been displaced.

Heading down towards the waterfront, we passed through the University of Auckland campus, and saw some unique buildings and monuments along the way (Though I'm not sure why there was a road cone on it).

There were also some interesting signs along the way, from the Budweiser ad to the imagery on the side of the vans from the Jucy Vehicle Rental.

Before we began to walk along the water toward Mission Bay, we walked across a bridge that went over the trains exiting from Britomart Station, which provided a neat view of the city.

As we had been recommended to head to Mission Bay for a selection of restaurants to choose from for Lunch, we began a very long walk along this path. And while it was a long walk (and would result is us taking a bus back), it was certainly a very nice path to walk along.

The walk offered us some great views of the neighboring lands that surround the waters of Hauraki Gulf, such as Devonport and Rangitoto Island.

There were also plenty of opportunities for some great pictures back towards the city center to the West of us.​

Much of the shoreline along the road was comprised of a seawall that was built some time ago, and along the way there were several staircases that lead into the water.

There was also a point when we walked alongside some former bunkers that were used for defense of the local area from potential attackers by sea​.

And after several kilometres, we found our way to Mission Beach, which looked like a nice place to come on a sunny day and enjoy the water.

After we had lunch, we made our way back into the city center so that we could go back to the apartment for a break. Along the way, we happened to stumble upon a protest that was being done by a group of local Maroi people in support of the Standing Rock tribe in North Dakota. As they went into the intersection, members of the group went on to perform a Haka in support of Standing Rock.

Up next, Phillip and I take another walk South to head to the highest point in Auckland with a hike up Mt. Eden!

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