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Published: July 10th 2011
July 9th
My first day in Auckland finds the weather to be a beautiful sunny morning with just a slight chill in the air. I am energized to get going.
I know that I need to get some cash so I get my ATM card and can't find it. Now I am not worried as I have many safe keeping place to look. Along the way I find several stashes of USD's and finally in the very last place I find my card. Now 15 minutes later I am ready to go.
As I walk out of my apartment building I have to make a couple of turns and when I hit a main street I don't see any street signs so I asking a nice clean cut young man if I am on the right street for the Sky tower. He laughs and points upwards and there it is. We strike up a conversation as we walk down the street. He become very flirty and even hits my butt at one point as we cross the street. I am a little surprised but he continues to tell me that he had been up all night smoking pot.
Now I know he is obviously impaired and his sense of judgement and vision is lacking. I don't have to worry to long as my turnoff approaches and he continues on. Whew! I hated to have to break the poor young mans heart. LOL
I get to the information desk to book my trip for tomorrow. It's hard to do because of the lack of one day transportation and the specific tour I want to take doesn't coordinate very well. But Chris at Information is very helpful and I urge him to give me a discount as the touring company offered me one on the phone. I have to mix two different companies but I get my way. ( yeah I know!)
Next on the AM agenda is the Sky Tower Jump. I go sign up and get the student discount, suit up and I am on my way up the tower. This tower is the largest one in the Southern Hemisphere. It is 328 meters ( 37 buses end to end or 1076 ft.) tall and the jump is 192meters at 53 mph in eleven seconds. I not only jump once but twice. I couldn't get up
there fast enough for my second jump. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!
After the jump I am running around the street of Auckland as the adrenalin was still pumping for some time.
My next mission is to go to the Kelly Tarlton's Antarctica Experience. It has a great penguin display and a neat walk through aquarium with leopard sharks tuna and other fish. It also has a large pool with 3 giant stingrays that really like to have there bellies rubbed. But who doesn't!!
On my walk back to my apartment I stop at small market. The owner saw my Ohio State hat. ( I am one of the few still acknowledging them with a lost season last year) He stated that he lived and worked in NY with an oil company. He is a native New Zealander of Arabic descent. He was transferred by his company to Iraq since he spoke the language. At one point he and his fellow workers were attacked but the Delta Force came to there rescue. However fate was not on his side as a short time later he was captured by the Iraqi forces and held captive and tortured for 2 months.
His country of NZ did nothing to get him out and it was Hilary Clinton that personally interceded and got his release. He then moved to Syria the country of his wife and when a very good friend was arrested by the secret police he decided to come home to NZ and open a grocery market. Much safer and giving him time to heal his mental wounds. He madke me a cup of coffee as we talked. I don't drink coffee but to refuse would have been an insult. Farouk is now my friend and I will go to his market when I need things.
The day ends with a good bit to reflect on.
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Penny
non-member comment
Hello from Penny and Fermin (Morocco tour)
Hi Angie, I've been watching this trip with interest. How long are you in New Zealand? Ferm flies to Auckland on Sunday. Are you going to come to Melbourne too? If so, would love to see you. Penny