To Devonport by Ferry and Back Again

On these bright, sunny days as beautiful as they are, it does get humid in the afternoon, and I get wilty. But before that I had a very pleasant day out.
My first trip was to the grocery store.  All I have to do is explain to the kind staff that I'm a tourist and they do the self check out for me.  Nice.  Of course I have to feed the bills and coins in my own self.
Then I betook me down to the ferry port.  Since I was a bit early for the next crossing I did not have to wait in line for a ticket.  One can get a return.  I watched the waterfront until our vessel arrived.
As it happened I shared the ferry with a big group of local Morris Dancers, all beribboned with flowered hats and bells.  They jangled when they moved and seemed a jolly bunch.
The crossing is fairly short, but the views are nice on the way.  Then we pulled up at the ferry terminal in Devonport.  There are no "sights" there.  It's just a pretty place to walk around.  It actually reminded me of parts of Redondo Beach because of the charming bungalows and cute shops.
I walked up hill to Mount Victoria.  I did not have the gumption to climb all the way up, but I went up high enough so that I could enjoy the views back to Auckland.  I made a big loop through a nice residential area and then went back down hill.
Then I walked for a long time on the tree shaded shore line enjoying the sun sparkling on the water and watching boats go by.  I like my location in Auckland, but I must say I enjoyed being in a less bustling and commercial atmosphere than Queen Street.
I got the ferry back and strolled around a bit before coming home.  I offer two more reasons to appreciate New Zealand.  One is that fewer people smoke--or at least fewer smoke in public--than in Europe.  Smoking indoors in public places is of course forbidden.  Another reason is the availability of public toilets.  Even larger stores and shopping malls and arcades have them, but they sit on side streets, too.  As it happens, I have not needed to avail myself of these facilities, but it is a great comfort to me that they exist.