#dailyat6am, #fromtheroad, Auckland, Wild Horses

Rain at Auckland Airport

March 15, 2026 John Caswell Leave a comment

Daily Photo – Rain at Auckland Airport

I was in Auckland for a period of time, most of which I could spend as I pleased. My plan had been to see the city the way I prefer to see most places, which is on foot. Public transport would only be used where absolutely necessary, preferably when hills became unreasonable or distances began to resemble something more suited to a road trip.

Before landing at Auckland Airport, I had spent much of the flight reading about possible spots I might like to visit and then plotting potential walking routes around the city. By the time the seatbelt signs came on for landing, I had what I believed to be a fairly respectable itinerary.

All of that changed the moment we came in to land, because it was raining.

Not the gentle, polite sort of rain you can wander about in without much concern. This was hard, heavy, determined rain that makes you question whether leaving a building at all is a sensible life choice. The kind that falls with such enthusiasm that even ducks might consider staying indoors.

In fact, the MetService were warning that the expected wind and rain might soon become serious enough to cause real disruption across the city and surrounding areas.

Having disembarked from the plane, I stood watching the rain pelt down across the runways, dissolving the city into a white mist where it ought to have been. Since I hadn’t brought a jacket, it became clear that my carefully planned walking itinerary was about to undergo a fairly substantial rethink.

#dailyat6am, Aotearoa, Auckland, New Zealand, North Island, Wild Horses

Searching For The Top of Auckland’s Sky Tower

March 10, 2026 John Caswell Leave a comment

Daily Photo – A View of the Sky Tower You Don’t See on Postcards

If you google “Auckland’s Sky Tower,” you’ll most likely be shown images of the city’s skyline at night, with the tower brilliantly lit in a kaleidoscope of colours, standing like a beacon above the harbour, its lights reflected in the water below.

Alternatively, it can be seen as a gleaming spire piercing the night sky, wrapped in ever-changing lights like a giant neon candle over Auckland, turning the city into a miniature Christmas village on a summer evening while its colours dance across the harbour.

Well, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but I’m here to tell you that isn’t always the case. The last time I was in Auckland, apart from a period of about three hours on a Wednesday night when the weather momentarily cleared, all I saw of the Sky Tower was it disappearing into a thick, heavy mist while rain pelted down onto the city below. For three days, all I saw was a grey shaft vanishing into a white nothingness. Still, it provided an alternative view of the Sky Tower, one the Auckland tourism board probably doesn’t rush to put on postcards.

#dailyat6am, Auckland, New Zealand, North Island, Wild Horses

The New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland

March 3, 2026 John Caswell Leave a comment

Daily Photo – New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland

Recently I spent some time in Auckland and, on the afternoon of the third day, ducked into the Maritime Museum in the Viaduct. This wasn’t born of any wild fascination with boats or a burning passion for sailing vessels, but rather the simple fact that it had been raining incessantly since I arrived. I figured a few hours wandering around would at least give me time to dry off. So in I went, and spent a good few hours leaving small puddles of water where ever I went.

While I was there, I took this photo. It’s actually made from eight images stitched together to create a panorama. As I was travelling light and without a tripod, it was shot hand-held, which made the final processing a little more challenging.