Auckland
Auckland is New Zealand's largest city & has an estimated population of about 1.3 million. This equates to about a quarter of the total population of NZ. It's on the northern tip of the North Island, & it's placed amidst a landscape of water. I only had the opportunity to stay for a couple nights, but I was lucky enough to stay with a
Couch Surfer who lived next to the highest natural point in Auckland!
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A beautiful, but cold winter day in Auckland.
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This photo was taken from Mount Eden.
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Mount Eden is the highest natural point in Auckland.
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From where I stayed, it was a short walk to this volcanic crater on Mt. Eden.
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Mt. Eden stands at 196 meters (~643 feet) & the crater is roughly 50 meters (~164 feet) deep.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZq344t_V2FAXIdWE6oobpHTrGw0R3xkfKC-VSmTi6ib5oMFHRNlsuHlcvqtKKG5WnSUD8aXMPG2hAVz3Q7LxFUyHD03DVh6U2l06IJPnRSxIFw8V0G5vWonyBTqF5lAIj-J4lA/s400/P1010090.JPG)
The volcano erupted several times, the last being about 60,000 years ago. It resulted in leaving a series of craters around Auckland.
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From the top of Mt Eden, you can see a panoramic view of Auckland! This view is looking southeast towards some of the other craters.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4eujm5ZEVuHs4uRyME_o53_mwR_Qudn0FGJU5keeKu4EQj9ffew6woYotWb2j3KX7be4a7YHGQFPB9eltbS9zLnHO73sN5EkOiuxsta9JB-eR4q1pSStcezzmqjt3ARQdhbAEA/s400/P1010111.JPG)
There's nothing like relaxing without a care in the world. Well, not quite without a care...
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Flying out of Auckland provided these clouds for the viewing.