Lamb, Ice Cream, Lamb, Ice Cream....that's all I need here in Auckland!

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So, so tired. I arrived in Auckland late last night and met some cool German guys on the flight, who I might hang out with while here in Auckland. We exchanged info and as soon as we parted ways, I was ready to eat. I was starving! As soon as I checked into my hotel, I went straight to the restaurants in search of lamb. Boy, did I find it! A yummy lamb shank courtesy of Restaurant No. 1. The meat fell off the bone and that was all I could ask for (this one was for you Marlaina)! On my way back to the hotel, I passed by a gelato place. If you know me, you know me and ice cream go hand in hand. I'm in search of the best ice cream spot in the world and by golly, I think I may have found it. I don't know if its the high-quality dairy produced here in New Zealand or the organic products the chef uses, but seriously, the gelato is ORGASMIC! Don't forget this name: GIAPO! I walked in, we spoke about ice cream, Los Angeles, and food and next thing I know, he's giving me 6 different scoops of ice cream to eat for free! He understood my appreciation of good ice cream, and he was just happy that he could make me happy by giving me his fantastic creations to try (kiwi cake-which he bakes himself, salted caramel, salted california pistachio, orange-rosemary, and the list goes on). I was full, tired, and ready to wake up for the next day of fun!

After having 5 hours of sleep, I woke up and ventured off to Waitomo to check out the Glow Worm Caves. AMAZING! A definite must see when in New Zealand. Beautiful caves (a scene of Lord of the Rings was filmed there) and gorgeous glow worms glowing in the dark. Then went to the Agrodome to feed some sheep, cows, and watch a sheep shearing demonstration. Te Puia was the next stop where I saw a Poi dance from Maori peeps and the Pohutu Geyser. The poi dance is very similar to luau's in Hawaii. Then it was back to my hotel to get dinner. I was craving for a rack of lamb. I found it, but the place wasn't all that great. Medium rare was actually medium to medium-well and service sucked! Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

Eventhough I had a lovely, fun-filled day, I felt ill the whole day from the antibiotics. I wanted to throw up every 15 minutes. It was no bueno! But...I ended the day with another 2 scoops of free gelato courtesy of Giapo. I heart him and his ice cream!

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Photos

Cute kiwi baby
I sat next to the cutest kiwi baby on the plane

The view
Taken from my hotel balcony

I have a washer/dryer in my room!
You can bet I did laundry on my first night here!

My new friends
Hannes and Daniel

Restaurant no. 1
Lamb Shank

Agrodome
Being a bit afraid feeding sheep