So, I had a great day today. Got on the Link Bus earlyish (11am) and got off at Victoria Park. Walked down to the Viaduct Harbour. It is north of the park but here the north end of town where the harbour is get referred to as being the bottom of Queen Street or the street names are things like Lower Albert Street. The suburbs south of the city are on Upper Queen Street or up the road. A difficult adjustment as I always think of north as up and south as down. Here up and down refer to sea level at the harbour (down) and the high steep hills of the rest of the city (up). Understandable but still an adjustment for me.
Anyway... I found the part of the harbour where the largest yachts are and noted the names and approx. lengths for searching the web for them. Got about 6 names.
I also got to have a close look at top British sailor Ellen MacArthur's new trimaran B&Q. It is dry docked in Auckland for some work following testing of the boat and the trip across from Australia (where it was built) a little over a week ago. This young woman is phenominal. Talk about gutsy. She is all of 26 or 27 years old and is about to embark on a solo circumnavigation in this new 75ft. trimaran. She did a solo circumnav in her 60ft. Kingfisher. At just 24 Ellen had become the fastest woman sailor and youngest person ever to sail around the world non-stop singlehanded. Well, it was a bit exciting to stand underneath the hulls of this gigantic boat. It is a modern day marvel of marine engineering with all the bells and whistles and a few new ones.
Met a Kiwi on the pier who had been out fishing with his mates this morning and was just sitting enjoying a little rest when I came along. I asked him about the harbour and why there were so few boats in it. He said that since they lost the Americas Cup it had been pretty quiet. Mostly local fishing boats, tour boats and local vessels. I stood chatting with him for about 2 hours about everything Kiwi. Stuff like the cost of housing, pay and benefits, the culture and changes in the city and the entire country. The Americas Cup and the effect it has had on Auckland and New Zealand. Life in general in Kiwiland, his life specifically... he's a diesel mechanic who works for the Stagecoach Bus Co., the city buses. He is married, had 3 grown children, the youngest is his 28 year old daughter. He used to play rugby and he used to drink a lot with all his rugby pals. He hasn't touched a drop in 8 years since the doctor said "lose the booze or lose the liver." It was a fun and interesting conversation and I am so glad I stopped to ask that one question.
I walked back along the pier and made a last minute decision to stop for a quick lunch (it was about 2:30) before checking out a couple of yachts. After lunch, I wandered across the road to where a mega-yacht was docked and gave it a long look, noting its name and approximate length (~150 ft. maybe). As I turned to walk back I noticed a fellow (looked like crew on a day off) leaving the boat. I hurried to meet up with him as he came up the ramp and asked to talk to him. A nice, personable fellow. I asked if he was crew, yes he is the engineer. I asked if they needed crew and, (YES, yes) yes, they will be hiring a mate and 2 stewardesses for a cruise leaving in three weeks. He suggested I return on Monday, then said Tuesday morning would be better, to talk to the mate. So, early Tuesday morning I will be there looking my nautical best and sporting a winning, positive attitude. This will be a very busy week. Must brush up on my stew stuff.
After that I walked, with a spring in my step and a smile on my face, over to the other pier opposite. There was an even larger yacht over there. No luck making contact with anyone onboard but I jotted down the name, etc. There was a pram and a couple of bicycles on the dock next to the yacht so there aer probably 2 stews and a nanny on the crew when the roster is full. As I was leaving the pier, I stopped at the security office and asked the guard if she was aware of any yachts being in search of crew. She looked at the notice board over the desk at the far end of the room and said no but she would ask her supervisor for me. I left my name and new Kiwi Vodafone number and asked to have him call me. She was quite nice and I will check back tomorrow.
Took a further look around but it was pushing 5pm so I decided to call it a day. Oh, yeah, I also got a sunburn from standing in the hot sun on the pier. And, no, I don't expect any sympathy from all you Canadians freezing in the cold winter weather. By the way it is summer here again today. Phew! I was starting to worry.
There is a show going on down at the Harbour Front today... drag queens on parade it seems. When I went into the hotel adjacent to use the ladies' I was treated to a preview by some of the girls rehearsing some moves in full costume. Some of the outfits!! Just so wild. When I was out in the crowd I sort of felt out of place... you know, that outnumbered feeling. It was when I went back outside and really looked at the crowd that I eralized why... There were very few actual women out there. Just a few who wandered in, like me. All the other "women" were drag queens, not all in stage gear, either. It looked like a lot of fun and I am going back over after I finish in here. It seemed there were going to be more shows and I hope to catch some of it while having a beer.
Well must get goiong. Some website searches to do then I am off for that beer.
Posted by gailene at February 22, 2004 03:56 PM