January 8, 2013

The day was mostly cloudy with the sun occasionally breaking through. It was a quite windy day, and temperatures were in the high 60s.

The morning was to be devoted to exploring Auckland, which this tour had not yet done. My earlier explorations of Auckland had been arranged through TIME Unlimited Tours and had taken place prior to the commencement of this tour. Our first stop was the Skytower, which at 328 meters, is the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere. But as I pulled out my camera to take an abstract architectural photo of the Skytower from its base looking up, I discovered that the cap had come off the sunscreen in my bag and its contents discharged. Gunk was all over my camera, and even had managed to work its way beneath the UV filter which I could not remove. All of my test photographs were blurry.

I went into despair and catastrophe mode. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy terms, I fused with the idea that the remainder of my trip would be a disaster because I could not take the photos I had intended to take. I had purchased this Canon 60D specifically for this trip. I rarely buy souvenirs. My photographs are my souvenirs. Taking photos with my iPhone would not be an acceptable alternative. I went to the observation deck of the Skytower, and walked around the perimeter, but I was unable to enjoy the view. My camera!

I had 30 minutes before I had to be on the bus. Fortunately, a tourist information center was at the base of the Skytower, so I descended to the center to see if they could direct me to a camera store or repair shop. One was three blocks away. I dashed over. They, too, were unable to unscrew the filter from the lens, and they didn't sell the special wrenches for just this purpose like I have at home. They asked for permission to break the filter. I said the filter was a disposable item as far as I was concerned; I could easily buy another. So the salesman went into the back of the store and returned a few minutes later, the filter successfully removed. Apparently the threat of imminent destruction caused the filter to be more cooperative! I asked the salesman how much I owed him for his help, and he said, "Nothing; enjoy the rest of your stay." I thanked him effusively, and made it to the bus with 5 minutes to spare.

We then rode around Auckland for a short while. It was interesting to get a different perspective (our driver has a hilariously wicked sense of humor), but I had seen all of these locations and much more a few days earlier on the TIME Unlimited tour. I was focused on cleaning and coddling my camera. Fortunately, no sunscreen seemed to have reached the interior, but the exterior was well covered. I'll probably need to send it in for a thorough cleaning when I return to the States. Just please let it keep working properly until 3 February!

It was then time for a sailboat cruise in Auckland's harbor, but I had done that, too, already, and on a grander scale. I said goodbye to the group and set out on my own mission: a trip to the Auckland Harley-Davidson store so I could buy a t-shirt to add to my collection. H-D t-shirts is my only other concession to the compulsion to buy souvenirs. Mission accomplished, and I now have my first international H-D t-shirt in my collection. I rejoined the tour even before they had returned from their cruise. I probably could have taken the cruise and gone to the H-D store during the lunch break, but I didn't want to take any chances on being left behind.

The remainder of the day was spent traveling to Tairus on the Coromandel (car row MAN dil) Peninsula. The scenery on the drive through mountainous country was quite beautiful, but I was unable to get any photographs. First, with the cloudy skies, the lighting was not good. Another reason to return to New Zealand as if I didn't have enough already! Second, New Zealand roads seem to have few vista points for "photo opportunities" and turnouts on the side of the highway where one can stop and take photos were lacking. I thought this was a curious oversight given New Zealand's huge tourist industry. Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles has turnouts every few miles; this highway warranted at least a few. Third, even when the rare vista point did appear, the driver did not stop the bus to allow us shutterbugs to do our thing. I sincerely hope this will change when we reach alpine country. I've learned from experience that taking photos from the inside of glassed-in moving vehicles do not turn out well.

I've had a roommate the past several nights, but he returned to Australia this morning. When we arrived at the hotel in Tairus, I learned it does appear that I will have a room to myself for the remainder of the trip -- without having to pay the single supplement. This hotel actually is separate cabins at a lakeside; I'm able to enjoy a lake view as I type this. Sweet!

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Last revised: August 26, 2015.