Blogs from Central, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 14

Today is the big game!!! Canada versus New Zealand in the Rugby world cup!!! I met a guy in my room who was also from Canada and Pete invited him to come down to the fanzone on the waterfront with us to watch the game. I bought a Canada hockey jersey in Australia at the Queen Vic Market for Pete’s birthday but just had to wear it on this occasion first! There were heaps of Canadians around which was awesome. The fanzone they have set up is huge and has heaps of big screen tvs to watch the games. The weather didn’t cooperate and was raining of course. So everyone crammed into the two buildings they have set up. It’s a cool set up. Had a couple of beers and got into watching the game with ... read more

The last time the Rugby World Cup came to New Zealand I was at school, and was completely caught up in the excitement. I became a walking encyclopedia of all things rugby, and was even lucky enough to go to one of the games with my father and brothers. This time, the build up seemed to go on for ever, and about three weeks ago I thought I was over it before it began. But then finally it was game week, and the atmosphere and excitement in Auckland was catching. By Friday I was completely caught up in it again. Auckland welcomed the world with a stunningly beautiful day - no clouds, no wind, just a gorgeous sunny spring day. There was real buzz in the city which had been building all week. This party was ... read more

So we are still in Auckland, at the same house, even though we intended to leave Monday. Auckland has stolen our hearts! Really though, we just love the people we are couch surfing with. They let us use their internet, do laundry, and drive us to all the cool sights (did you know Auckland has 53 inactive volcanoes?!). Now our plan is to stay until Sunday, as one of our housemates' (nickname Baby Cat) birthday is this weekend and we want to celebrate with her! In the meantime we have been exploring the city and making our plans for the rest of our trip. I have started reading a book titled "Vagabonding: an uncommon guide to the art of long-term world travel" and 10 pages in am already hooked. The quote that spoke to me today: ... read more

Kia Ora! After 48 hours of traveling madness, my sister, Taylor, and I made it to our first couchsurfing stop in Auckland. Of our 5 flights over here, 4 were delayed, but somehow we ended up landing only 15 minutes later than expected. The biggest bump in the road, however was in LA, where we were told we couldn't go to New Zealand without return tickets or an itinerary proving we were eventually leaving the country. Like something out of the Amazing Race, we found a computer and booked tickets from Auckland to Sydney for a total of $308 in under 15 minutes. Charlie Sheen calls that winning. We also got to spend 5 hours on the beach in Fiji, collecting shells and enjoying a beautiful sunrise. Movies and people-watching kept us highly entertained on the ... read more

Das erste was wir nach einem sehr,sehr anstrengenden Flug mit Zwischenstopp in Seoul gesehen haben war der Flughafen in Auckland. Von dort ging es mit einem riesen Reisebus, wir sind immerhin ueber 50 deutsche Freiwillige zu unserem Hostel, das sehr zentral lag. Wir erkundeten die Stadt, sind auf den Auckland Sky Tower gefahren und sind mit dem Schiff nach Devonport gefahren, wo wir zu abend gegessen haben. Dann ging es am naechsten Tag auch schon weiter mit Minibussen zum Flughafen. Marie, Nico, Jerome und ich waren die einzigsten die den Flieger nach New Plymouth genommen haben und ich muss schon sagen in so einem kleinen Flugzeug bin ich glaube ich noch nie gesessen... Wir sind trotzdem heil angekommen und wurden am Flughafen von der Weekend Activities Matron Leslie abgeholt. Mit ihr sind wir erstmal an den ... read more