16 Monday, December 29: Was amongst the outer islands at dawn and by 8 o'clock had tied up at Prince's Wharf in Auckland. Put off 160 passengers here and were supposed to take on 122, but some of the passengers failed to turn up. No one seems to know why. After seeing a little of the place it seems likely as not the reason might be the Christmas holi- days, or the big race meeting being held today. Auckland is set in beautiful surroundings. A landscape of low hills, mostly tree- less now and lushly green with grass. The long arms of the two sheltered harbors, one on the east coast and one on the west coast of the island (North Id.), occupy valleys between the hills. The isthmus between the harbors is only 4½ miles across. It looks like a simple proposition for a ship canal. No high land, and apparently all soft volcanic rock that would be easy to cut through. The rock is resistant enough to form steep low cliffs edging the harbors. It is pale grey in color, finely stratified, and looks like consolidated ash of recent origin. A recent volcano (Rangitoto), no longer active and covered with scrubby forest, forms an island several hundred feet high at the entrance to Auckland harbor. (Auckland is on the east coast of the North Island). Big guns were mounted on Rangitoto during the war. The harbor was otherwise strongly fortified defended. Probably all the hills about Auckland are volcanic cones. Australians call New Zealand the "Shaky Isles." After breakfast I joined the Bishops and other passengers on a 2½ hour sightseeing tour by bus. This took us through the suburbs and to the top of Mt. Eden. Mt. Eden is about 800 ft. high and has a perfect crater about 150 ft. deep on its summit. From it one looks down on both harbors, and it is surrounded by suburbs of the town. Took colored photos and had morning tea at a kiosk on its slopes. The tea was good; the sandwich bread yellow and doughy! New Zealand still eats austerity bread. Much of its flour is imported from Australia. Green hills, pale blue water, the red roofs of the town, and the dark forest of distant mountains made a colorful scene. Scraps of forest near the town were reddened by the massed flowers of the pampakawa tree, a species of Metrosideros. This beauti- ful tree is much planted in the town. It is the tree of Auckland. Nicely shaped, and with dense dark foliage and rough grey bark, it is a very attractive park and street tree which should do well in the southeastern States and California. The suburban gardens gay with planted annuals and with hydrangeas. Gladioli do wonderfully well, as do roses, dahlias, carnations, geraniums, stocks, gazanias, and almost any flower that can be found in a seedsman's catalog. Magnolia grandiflora a popular tree - now in flower. Looking down from Mt. Eaton, I was struck with the virtual absence of traffic on the streets outside of the business part of the town. Gas is not rationed, but pla- cards are displayed asking that petrol be saved to avoid rationing. Not many new cars in the streets of the city proper. Was disappointed in the city. For a population of about 300,000 it is unimposing. Apart from Queen Street, the streets are rather too narrow. The town is clean outwardly, but shabby, and the shops are unattractive. A small restaurant on the main street, where I had a light lunch, was plainly dirty. I went into three barber's shops before I found one that looked clean enough for a hair- cut. The doors of some butcher's shops were not screened and the meats on display not otherwise protected from flies. I saw no flies, but they must be around at times. My haircut cost 1/9, my lunch of pressed tongue and salad, the same. The very good beef and mutton in the shops seemed exceedingly cheap after the inflation prices now being charged in the U.S. Meat prices are displayed in the butcher shops. The highest prices I saw was 1/9 a pound for boned porterhouse steak. Filet cost 1/5. Mutton cost more than lamb. Mutton prices were up to a top of 1/3 per pound. This for really choice meats.