The chance to try out Auckland’s public transport system and do a night walk up Mt Victoria attracted 19 people. Instead of meeting at The Bracken we met at The Lindadrome in Mt Eden at 6pm. As the sun set we walked down View Rd, stopping briefly at a diary to ensure everyone had the readies to pay for their discovery passes on boarding the train. From there we carried on down Wynyard Rd to the Mt Eden railway station with 20 minutes to spare before the train arrived to take us to Britomart. The train came on time at 6:50pm, and we boarded and bought our discovery passes - $13 gives an adult person unlimited travel on trains, buses and ferries all over Auckland - which would cover our return ferry trip to Devonport and well as returning to the Lindadrome afterwards. We arrived at Britomart with another 20 minutes to spare before we caught the ferry to Devonport. The normal ferry Seabus Kea was tied up and wentililloing nearby, so one of the boats used for the Waiheke run was being used for the Devonport service. The trip to Devonport takes about 15 minutes, and we arrived there about 7:45pm. It was a clear and calm evening for our walk up Mt Victoria. Half an hour later we were enjoying a fairyland of lights below us all around - North Shore, Rangitoto, the eastern suburbs, and the coloured starscape of the central city dominated by the Sky Tower. Some of us decided to go down into the disappearing gun that had been built during World War 2 to defend Auckland against a Japanese attack that never eventuated. We returned to the Devonport Village with tummies rumbling like Mt Vesuvius. Finding an eating place that did not hoover our wallets clean proved to be a challenge - some of us did fork out for a meal while others were happy with just a coffee or latte. At 9:45pm we were on the ferry back to Britomart that would bring us there in time for the 10:15pm train back to Mt Eden. As we approached the train platform we were told by Veolia staff that all trains on the western line had been cancelled as there had been a fatal accident between Mt Albert and Avondale and the police required that stretch of line to help get to the bottom of the matter. The staff were helpful in arranging alternative transport, and soon had taxis ready to take us to Mt Eden station at no extra charge. Only cars were available instead of taxi vans, so we had to split up and leave at separate times over the next twenty minutes, the last cab leaving at 10:30pm to take the final three of us to Mt Eden and a single male passenger to New Lynn station - fortunately we had a car with a decent seat belt in the middle back seat position for the carload of five people.