Back in New Zealand after a gap of 19 years landing the largest city of Auckland.

 Certain things I remember very clearly, one thing I have forgotten it’s just how hilly the city of Auckland is. That’s what you get when you build a city over a dormant volcano. Note dormant, not extinct, because the volcano is just sleeping. Everywhere you look you can see the familiar shapes of volcanic cones dotting the landscape, evidence of the times when the boiling magma, 100 miles below the city, bubbled to the surface.

The last eruption was recorded 600 years ago when a new island suddenly appeared in the city Bay, much to the surprise of the Maori. The next one is due any time in the next 10,000 years. Spent my first day walking from one side of New Zealand to the other doing the coast-to-coast walk. It’s 16 km through the centre of Auckland, or more like 20 when you start in completely the wrong direction.

The walk goes from the west to the east and takes in several of those volcano cones. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to the city. One of the newest buildings is the sky tower the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. You can get a magnificent view of the city from the observation deck. If you’re adventurous you can take the quick way down by jumping off the roof attached to a thin wire. Several lunatics seem to be doing this I preferred to take the lift.