Big day today. After breakfast we made our way down to the Royal Theatre, were given our bus ticket number and then waited for our tour number to be called. Down a couple of flights of stairs, through the check-out and on to the tender. Amazingly enough we were the first off the tender and the first on the bus. Our tour was diverted from its usual roads because the centre of Auckland had been closed off for the Santa Parade. Lots of NZ Christmas trees just starting to bloom, and lots of them were really big, lichen covered trees. Our first stop was a huge rose garden, lovely odour wafting around and a wide range of colour. Then onto the Winter Garden, not only ponds, fountains and gardens but a hissing gander protecting his goslings! Some rosellas eating grass seeds, lots of sparrows and a pair of blackbirds foraging beneath the palms. Mum pokemoned her way away the walk back to the bus, lol. From there we had a drive over the big Auckland Bridge, back again and then under it. Had a look at the area that’s being redeveloped for the America’s Cup in 2021, and then back to the ship.

After a spot of lunch and settling Mum back in our room, I caught a tender again over to the port and met up with a local Munzee hunter, and then back to Mum and a bit of relaxing & writing before dinner.