Jen has a folder with descriptions of places we can visit along with leaflets. It wasn't as good a forecast today, still 28 degrees but with rain showers! It did rain in the morning so we decided on M.O.T.A.T. (Museum of Transport and Technology.) It's an open museum with many different things to see and experience. There was so much for all 4 children to enjoy. All 4 children have bonded really well, they all play great together and this day out they all enjoyed. It was a good place for all ages. Thankfully too we had no more showers, just a couple of spots of rain as we walked around.
Just before we left we had a ride on the tram.
From photos that have appeared on Jen's blog I had a few ideas of things I'd like us to do during our visit and had told her what they were at the beginning of our holiday. She said that North Head wasn't far away and would we like to do it after M.O.T.A.T. We agreed and it literally wasn't that far away at all, it was definitely worth doing whilst being so close as it was a fair drive to the museum in the first place. North Head is a stunning place with panoramic views over Auckland.
It also has a Military History. Taken from Wikipedia:
North Head provided the settlement of Auckland with its first pilot station for the guiding of ships into the harbour. In 1878, the area was then set aside as a public reserve - with the stipulation that if necessary, it could be re-appropriated for the New Zealand Army to use for defence purposes. In 1885, this then became reality. When the Russian scare its height, forts were built in various places around Auckland to deter the Russians.
The defences consisted of three gun batteries: North Battery facing over the Rangitoto Channel, South Battery facing over the inner harbour, and Summit/Cautley Battery on the top of the hill. A four-gun memorial saluting battery of 18 pounder World War I field guns was used, among other occasions, to salute Queen Elizabeth II on her visit in 1953.
In the 1930s, part of the fort received modernisation. Then during World War II, it became the administrative centre of Auckland's coast defenses, with the regimental headquarters buildings still surviving today. The coastal defences were scrapped in 1950, though one of the disappearing guns remained behind - obsolete and too difficult for the scrap merchant who bought it to disassemble and remove. After the army had left, the area was turned into a reserve again, though the New Zealand Navy kept an area around the summit for a training school.
The defences consisted of three gun batteries: North Battery facing over the Rangitoto Channel, South Battery facing over the inner harbour, and Summit/Cautley Battery on the top of the hill. A four-gun memorial saluting battery of 18 pounder World War I field guns was used, among other occasions, to salute Queen Elizabeth II on her visit in 1953.
In the 1930s, part of the fort received modernisation. Then during World War II, it became the administrative centre of Auckland's coast defenses, with the regimental headquarters buildings still surviving today. The coastal defences were scrapped in 1950, though one of the disappearing guns remained behind - obsolete and too difficult for the scrap merchant who bought it to disassemble and remove. After the army had left, the area was turned into a reserve again, though the New Zealand Navy kept an area around the summit for a training school.
This is how much the children have bonded, they all wanted to share a bath! They had so much fun splashing and squealing!
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