New Zealand Part 1

I've decided to post some journal entries from my travels in New Zealand for the benefit of those who won't get see the pictures or talk with me about it. Mind you, this is not a narrative meant to explain everything about New Zealand and my time there, only a reproduction of what I thought was worth putting into my own journal. Enjoy, post any questions as comments and I'll respond as soon as I can.

October 24th, Auckland
     Having my first conversation in New Zealand in Spanish was something I did not anticipate! In the line to get through the bio-security check point there were four South Americans having a laugh. One noticed that I was laughing at their jokes and struck up a conversation. It was fun, I do enjoy speaking a second language.

It was a good idea to take a shuttle directly to our hostal, the driver actually gave us a small city tour and some good advice about travel plans in the Northland.

After settling in, Anna and I went for a short walk into town for lunch. We ate at this Irish pub with really superb cuisine (not something you often say about Irish Pubs abroad). It was a bit spendy, but far superior to most pub food. Next we went to a rugby match at Eden Park, the big stadium where the All Blacks play. We watched Auckland dominate Tasman 49-10. I still don't understand all the rules, but it was great fun to watch the match. I might have to find some rugby matches back in Portland.

October 25th, Auckland
     Today is labor day in New Zealand. With such nice weather I wouldn't want to work either! We had a day in Auckland today, seeing some sights, visiting parks and the Auckland Museum, and seeing the harbor. We booked some tickets to the Bay of Islands and to Wellington at the I-site, which was extremely helpful. They arranged all our bookings had loads of useful information, and got cheaper rates than I could find (saved $120 on the train tickets alone)!

It's funny that people keep assuming that Anna and I are a couple :)

There are some lovely parks in Auckland. This country seems very keen for nice and natural opens spaces. The park around the museum is large and popular. We had a tough time finding a cheap place to eat because of the holiday. Ended up eating at the "Slurp," cafe on campus at the University of Auckland.

October 26th, Bay of Islands
     Fun Facts about New Zealand:
* The number one export is dairy products
* 98% of their energy is from renewable sources (80% hydroelectric, 18% geothermal, 2% fossil fuels)
* Some locals prefer to hunt pigs with 2 dogs and a knife instead of using a rifle.

We booked a day trip through Great Sights to the Bay of Islands - a 4 hour bus to Paihia, 3 hours on the water, 2 hours of wandering, and a 4 hour bus ride back. It was a beautiful trip, and the weather cooperated extremely well, bright and sunny all day. While on the boat we saw dolphins! They swam right up under the bow of the boat like they enjoyed the attention. And when we left they made a good show of jumping in the boat wakes. Fantastic, graceful creatures.

The top of the trip was passing through "The Hole In The Rock."  Drove our whole tour boat through a hole that the sea had won into one of the islands. The Maori say that if a drop of water falls on you it's good luck. Nearby is an old lighthouse and a small house that was once the home to the lighthouse keeper (now automatic). You can rent the house now for $12/night!

Once again our driver was very helpful with travel suggestions. He's made over 100 circuits around NZ, but for his vacations he prefers going to Coromandel.

Auckland traffic incoming in the morning is worse that I-5 into Portland - largely because Aucklanders don't carpool or use public transportation (only 16% of Aucklanders use public transportation). Very sad, so many cars and so few people.