Auckland Anniversary Day

This monday marked the 168th year (or so) of the existence of the regoin of Auckland as a place of note to westerners. The event is celebrated with a massive regatta, one of the the oldest and largest anywhere. What this meant for me was a lively downtown, lots of neato boats sailing the Harbour, and lots of fireworks.

I went down to the viaduct harbour to check out the sites. This is a happening place on any weekend night, but it was especially packed due to the carnival and free concert going on.
Dads, little girls, and a carousel.
Valuable prizes.Exciting signs. And rides.
And simply HUGE yachts. Can anyone tell me the rigging on this one? These old boats are all 50+ years old and still racing.
A wooden tall-ship, the Soren Larsen.
The next day I biked around to Mission Bay to get a view of the regatta. There were hundreds of boats racing about but I could not make sense of it from so far away. It would be better to join in next year if I can.
This young sailor had his hands full keeping his dinghy upright on the ramp. What fun!