As soon as we checked in the hotel, I freshened up a bit after the long trip from the States and dressed up just as quickly so we could start our sightseeing.  Just what were my impressions of Auckland upon arriving?  I recall thinking how British the city looked.  Although there were no doubt very many modern buildings, what stood out in my mind were the architecture of the centuries old buildings.  As is customary when we first set foot in any city, we normally just walk around to get a lay of the land.  This is what we found.

Here I am at the Marina of the Viaduct Basin.  To tell the truth, this was taken at the back of the SEBEL, our hotel.  You see, this area was developed for the AMERICA's CUP held in Auckland a few years back.  The construction of the SEBEL was part of the design.  It sat right on the waterfront with absolutely impressive views.

Close to this area is the New Zealand National Maritime Museum.  Very highly rated, the Maritime Museum is a must when visiting Auckland.  It is a huge museum and it can take you a day just looking at its extensive exhibits on everything KIWI or New Zealand.  I will write about the museum towards the end of our New Zealand visit.  But for now, here are some pics from the Viaduct Basin Marina

Boats and yachts at the Marina of the Viaduct Basin.

The Ferry Building.

It is here where one can take the Fullers Ferries to travel to nearby islands like Rangitoto, Waiheke, and the nearby Devonport.

There was a lot of construction going on around the Ferry Building at the time of our visit.  There were some attractive red lamp posts being placed along the red tiled promenade in front of this building.   These were some of them and I just love how they look.  They look as if they came out of the 1800s, you know, the gas lamp types, but not really because they are modern and run on electricity.

Aren't they elegant?  There will be more of these along the Auckland waterfront.

From the Ferry Building, we proceeded to walk to the real downtown.  I must tell you, Auckland's CBD is a juxtaposition of old and new.  The old is without any doubt British and colonial in style while the new is hip and trendy.  The picture below is a part of the downtown area where designer boutiques stood side by side with

chi chi restaurants.

Every so often we would stumble upon a statue or two.  Here is the statue of Lord Freyberg, a local statesman.

Lord Freyberg, 1889-1963

Commander of the Second New Zealand Division 1939-1945

Governor General of New Zealand 1946-1952

One of the streets leading to Albert Park.  See the hill totally covered with trees.  That's Albert Park in the middle of Auckland's Central Business District.

A water fountain in Albert Park

New York has Central Park, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Park, Auckland?  Albert Park

Although very small in size, it is a quaint and pretty little park in Auckland's Central Business District.  It has a few War Memorial Monuments like the Statue erected in the memory of the New Zealand soldiers who died in the South African War last 1900-1901.

Here are more scenes of Albert Park

I must say, I have never seen anyone with so many statues than the late Queen Victoria of England.

She was everywhere in New Zealand and Australia.  So revered indeed!

Canons

This has got to be a very old tree.  Just look at the trunks and roots.  I wonder how old this tree is now?

We saw this tree in Albert Park.  They didn't look like oranges.  Do you know what they are?

Me in Albert Park

A skip away from Albert Park is the campus of the University of Auckland.  One of its buildings has actually made its way to a  postcard as one of the city's sights.  Here is the famous Clock Tower Building.

The Government House is the other historic building in the University of Auckland campus.

One of the buildings I truly liked in the campus is this small cottage.  Ain't it just purty?

One of the must sees according to Frommers should you find yourself in Auckland is its Art Gallery.  We visited it on our last full day but here are the shots we took during our first day sightseeing.

At the time of our visit, a brand new building is being constructed across the street where its art collection is currently housed.  It is said that the building will be bigger, grander and more beautiful.  Here's hoping we get to see it when we return to New Zealand in the near future.