Scenes from Auckland

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It's official! I am tan. At least on my arms and chest. And I'm probably the only one who realizes my skin is a darker shade than usual but I'm pleased nonetheless.

I've spent the 4 days in Auckland trying to figure out where I go from here and how. At first, I was considering buying a car or meeting up with some others and renting a camper. But there are loads of warnings that many of the roads in the most scenic areas are treacherous at best. Plus, petrol is expensive and there are a few other administrative/maintenance issues that detered me from getting a cheap ride. So I have decided to go with Kiwi Experience (www.kiwiexperience.com) - the most recommended travel service amongst backpackers. They are highly knowledgable, well traveled and make a point to take passengers off the beaten path. Plus they provide commentary along the way so you know where you are and what you are looking at. In addition, they are familiar with the locals along their routes and can make all sorts of arrangements for travelers from hostels to outdoor adventures often with discounts. If you go to the website, like me, you may find it wasn't all that helpful. So I went into the office, asked a lot of questions and was able to basically arrange the tour I wanted, starting from where I wanted to start, and it ended up being cheaper then their pre-set route that goes to all the same places but starts in a city I didn't want to start in.

I spoke to our contact here in Auckland and he gave me good suggestions for beautiful, as well as funky, places I may like to stop for a few weeks to work and enjoy the nature as well as outdoor activities. So on Monday, I fly down to Wellington and will be staying in a nice hotel with a lady named Tricia who I met once in DC when she was visiting her old college mate, and my dear Grad school friend, Tammy. She works part time there and part time from her home in Gisborne. And they put here up in style. I imagine I will stay about a week and then start my kiwi experience traveling around the South Island. As always, I will keep you posted.

It's been great being in Auckland and meeting my email buddies (all friends of friends) I'd made contact with before I arrived. These new friends, in addition to people I've met out and about, are practically falling over themselves to put me in contact with their friends I should look up when I get to various cities. One lady I met last night suggested I might like looking up her Uncle in Queenstown (largest ski area in the country and one of the most popular destinations here) who will take his family and friends up in his helicopter. Uh yeah, that sounds alright to me! The people here have been great. Auckland is a pretty small big city. I may take a ferry over to the North shore tomorrow or the day after depending on the weather, which has been fairly unpredictable but not really any rain. It just tends to shift from super sunny to overcast within an hour or so. Regardless, I am sure to lather up with lots of sunscreen. But someone needs to create a mechanism for self-application of sunscreen to the hard to reach upper back areas.

Important Auckland lesson learned: Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way!

Morganne

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Photos

Mt Eden
The closest volcano to the city. Many many volcanoes in and around Auckland. All dormant.

Inside a mall
The inside of this mall, which is attached to that pointy tower, Sky City, was very space age. It reminded me of that ride at Disneyland. Actually, they have gambling here. There is a casino as well as a hotel in Sky City.

Outside Def Poetry Jam
My friend Frankie introduced me to his friend Domink, pictured here. She use to live in San Francisco and works in the local Auckland music scene. She got us invites to a pre-opening showing of Russell Simon's Def Poetry Jam. Brilliant!