If Only I Were Stationed Here During WWII

Back about a week and half ago, before classes even started we found ourselves in search of a new adventure. We’d been to the Bay of Islands but had done little exploratory work in and around Auckland. Luckily a couple of my buddies, Ed and Kevin, organized a great day trip for our group- Devenport.

For only $9 each with return, we jumped on a ferry that headed across the harbor and away from downtown. On arrival we came to a small little town where the main street was lined with quaint shops, cafes, and ice cream parlors. But this was nothing compared to what I saw next. Cars had to stop for pedestrians at the crosswalks.

This may not sounds to exciting to anyone who lives in the states. But New Zealand is known for their terrible driving- and this isn’t counting the fact they drive on the wrong side of the road. More than once have I almost been mooshed like mashed potatoes by a New Zealand driver. Needless to say, I was astounded by the fact that pedestrians had the right of way for once.

We walked past the town along the water toward a park that was filled with bunkers, tunnels, and turrets from WWII. From what I gathered, during WWII the New Zealand government was afraid of a Japanese invasion. So they built a pretty extensive network of concrete bunkers and tunnels on a hill overlooking the harbor. The attack of course never came, so what was once meant to defend New Zealand now provided a bunch of fun stuff to jump all over and climb through.

They park also had a marvelous beach that was only about 50 meters long and nobody else on it. After making sure we were allowed to swim there, we all went in for a cool down on our own private beach. I felt like I was making billions and enjoying my very own island. The girls then proceeded to lie in the sun while the boys looked for adventure- even twenty-something year olds can’t be kept still. Peter Pan and the lost boys would be proud.

Our walk back around the opposite side of which we came was just a scenic as the first. It was hard to not stop every 30 seconds to snap a photograph, which also slowed our pace considerably. We got back into Davenport and caught a late afternoon ferry back.

Two-hundred photos later, 9 dollars poorer, and my personal UV index maxed out; we arrived back into downtown Auckland. Only a mere 10 minutes ago I felt so far removed from urban society.