Auckland - A "City of Sails"
- Paul Hallman
- Feb 23
- 6 min read
Saturday was our 32nd day at sea and we arrived in Auckland at 6 am as the sun began to rise and the city was aglow with early morning light and immediately showed why it’s called the “City of Sails.” Auckland sits on New Zealand’s North Island, on a narrow isthmus between two harbors—the Waitematā Harbour (opening to the Hauraki Gulf) and the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea side—so water is never far away. Within one hour the sun was awake and Auckland was lit up and came to life.
Early morning as we arrived in Auckland New Zealand
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city, with a population of about 1.7 million people and New Zealand as a whole has 5.3 million people, which means a large share of the country lives in the Auckland region. That’s one reason Auckland is so important: it’s the nation’s biggest population center and a major hub for business, jobs, higher education, and international travel. It’s also a key gateway for tourism and cruising, with a waterfront that’s central to the city’s identity and daily life. It is also considered the Sailing Capital of the World and has over 500,00 sailboats and yachts in the city.
My Americas Cup Sailing Excursion
With all that sailing heritage, I kicked off our day with an America’s Cup excursion and boarded the NZ 2001 yacht with 30 other people from our ship and headed into the bay. With strong winds we were able to sail in the bay at 14 knots. It was an absolute blast—and the best part was how hands-on it was. I had the chance to captain the sailboat for about 10 minutes, and I also worked the grinders as we raised the sails and made adjustments. As a power boater, this was pretty exciting to sail at a speed that we would usually run with our twin diesel engines but as quiet as it could be. It was lots of work but when we caught the winds it was a different experience.
It was a very good Hallman Experience on this cruise
The NZL-60 “NZ 2001” America’s Cup yacht was an International America’s Cup Class (IACC) boat. It was initially built for Germany as their entry in the cup race and the structure was carbon fiber. The dimensions were as follows:
Length overall (LOA): 24 m (about 80 ft)
Beam: 4.2 m (about 13.8 ft)
Draft: 3.0 m (about 9.8 ft)
Mast height: 33m (about 112 ft)
On the boat we sailed the keel was s a deep fin with a heavy bulb at the bottom.
Keel (fin) depth / draft: about 3.0 m (9.8 ft) from the waterline to the bottom of the bulb
Bulb length: roughly 3–4 m (10–13 ft)
Bulb weight: roughly 18–20 tons (about 40,000–44,000 lb)
This is an Americas Cup Sailing Vessel on display outside the Marine Museum
We sailed the same course as the actual Americas Cup used and as soon as we got out from the docks into the main channel the winds picked up a lot. As we started to hoist the main sail the boat picked up speed and started to heel to one side.............. and that woke everyone on board up real fast. There were 4 crew running the cruise but in order to raise the main sail they need 8 people to grind. It was an experience.
Use your sound as you run this video
A short video Grinding as we swing the main sail
Hands On.... Forward...... Hold..... Hands Off..... "good job boys"
After about two hours, we came back in under the Auckland Bridge and returned to the dock still grinning as we dropped the sails. When we passed under the bridge we saw two people doing the Bridge Climb Excursion to the top on the bridge climbing on the arch assemblies, only to find out later that they were two people from our ship.
After the sail was complete, I met up with Jan and some friends in Auckland’s shopping area where we stocked up on crackers, chips, and other goodies to bring back onboard.
After we did some shopping I then went by myself and headed to the Auckland Maritime Museum while the girls enjoyed an afternoon of more store hopping and I toured the museum. As we walked the streets there was a group entertaining the visitors using traditional drums like the pahu (wood and shark skin) or even a putatara (a conch shell) as the beat while a ceremonial dance involving rhythmic chanting, stamping and gest9ures used to show unity strength or to welcome guests.
Auckland’s Maritime Museum
Auckland’s Maritime Museum (New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa) focuses on New Zealand’s relationship with the sea.
Waka and Māori voyaging: traditional navigation, Polynesian settlement stories, and ocean-going canoes.
Early exploration and settlement: European arrival, charts, instruments, and life around early ports. (Captain Cook's hand sketched charts)
Coastal trading and immigration by sea: how ships connected communities and brought people to New Zealand.
Shipwrecks and maritime archaeology: recovered artifacts and stories of notable wrecks.
Sailing and racing heritage: yachting culture and New Zealand’s major sailing achievements (including America’s Cup context).
Commercial fishing and whaling history: the industries that shaped coastal towns and the changing views of marine life.
Navy and wartime at sea: New Zealand’s naval role and maritime defense stories.
Hands-on/interactive exhibits: navigation, knots/rigging, and family-friendly displays.
Historic vessels (often at the nearby docks): museum ships you can sometimes board, depending on what’s in port and the day’s schedule.
There were more than 10 models of ships used in the late 1800's and the following century.
They museum had constructed the interior of a ship used to transport immigrants into New Zealand complete with sleeping quarters, a child's crib, and typical suitcases. It was a large display that included the Captain Quarters, Emigrant quarters and an office / sitting area.
Various articles of general interest
The first photo is a glass lamp from a lighthouse
It was a very informative visit and well worth the two hours and the $15 to cover the entire display. One interesting item was the charts made by Captain James Cook when he charted the waters around New Zealand as well as a creative anchor which was a stone with a hole in the center.
If you look closely at the photos and expand the images, you will be able to see his hand drawn sketches. Impressive charting completed between the years October 1769 and April 1770 on the H.M.S Endeavour. Cook first sighted NZ in October of 1769 and he spent six months mapping the coastline. He proved that the North and South Islands were separate and identified significant landmarks. He departed New Zealand for Australia on March 31st 1770 from what is now known as Cook Strait.
Captain Cook's Charting Documents
The main building at the Museum was full of sailing boats from small kayaks, dug out canoes to as large as the Americas Cup vessel. They also had a marine section and the one photo I have posted is a pair of Sea Turtle Shells.
Later, we all met up at the Cooperative Brewing Company for some homemade brew—an easy, local way to wind down after a full day. A bit of brunch with a Fish Sandwich, a couple Cider Drinks and two Stout beers completed our stop.
From there we walked back toward the marina district and did some classic waterfront people-watching. The funniest surprise was how many bridal showers were out and about—almost all in costume—turning the area into a festive, roaming parade. It was a real sunny warm summer day here in Auckland and many took advantage of the weather, totally exemplified by the short skirts, minimal clothing and the fun that all the Kiwi gals were having. It is good to see people be happy and enjoy life with each other
Can you find Wonder Woman ?
We didn't have time to go to the top of the Auckland Sky Tower but it rose above the city and clearly is a landmark. It was within walking distance of our ship and was always in our view.
We made it back to the ship at 8:00 pm, just in time for the Coral Princess to sail to our next port—tired, happy, and still talking about that America’s Cup adventure as Auckland slipped away behind us, quietly whispering, Ka kite ano !
Next Stop - Taurunga New Zealand
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