The Last Hurrah

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We've reached the end of our journey in Auckland, NZ!

We arrived in Auckland at 8:25pm local time (6:25pm Aus time, so we still had tons of energy) and caught a shuttle bus from the airport to our hostel. The airport is quite a way out of Auckland city (about 20km) so it was a bit pricey, unfortunately. Our accomodations were lovely however, and for the second time this trip we found ourselves upgraded from a dorm room to a private room! We went out and bought some groceries and made a very late dinner.

The next day we dedicated to sightseeing in Auckland. We went to Viaduct Harbour and walked along the marina where numerous yachts, sailboats and racing boats are moored. The area is very pretty and there are lots of shops and restaurants looking out over the harbour. From there we walked along the water and through the university part of town. It's fall here and there are leaves all over the ground. students were everywhere, wearing fall fashions and carrying textbooks and it felt like september at home. We eventually arrived at the Domain, a big parkland in the centre of Auckland. There are walking trails, playing fields, and an enormous, elegant building which houses the Auckland Museum. We decided to check out the museum and saw exhibits on ancient Polynesian cultures, Maori history and the natural history of New Zealand. The animals exhibit was fantastic, with live animals to check out including cute green geckos, creepy cave bugs, a giant lobster and starfish. We walked from there to Mt. Eden, a dormant volcano now covered in grass. we hiked to the top, but apparently many tourists opt for a bus tour to the top because the summit was swarming with tourists and busses. The view was unbeatable, however, and we looked out over all of Auckland.

The next day we attempted to get up bright and early to go hiking on Rangitoto Island. That definitely didn't happen so we caught the afternoon ferry out to the island. The island is the site of the most recent volcanic activity in the area. This volcanic history is very evident, as volcanic rock is strewn everywhere. Diverse foliage has grown since the time of eruption and the island is beautiful. We arrived under sunny skies and made our way up the trail to the summit. We had three hours on the island until the last ferry of the day would depart so we went directly to the lava tubes. These were cool caves that you could walk into and through, although it was pretty dark. They were formed in the volcanic eruption. At the summit of Rangitoto we looked down into the volcano, now lined with trees and plants, and walked around the rim. As we began to descend, the rain began. Not just a little shower, but torrential downpour. Sure it was warm, but it wasn't exactly pleasant. We walked the hour down the hill and sheltered in a bathroom along with other hikers until the ferry arrived. Ironically it had cleared up nicely by the time we got back to Auckland.... *sigh*

On our final day here we walked along Queen Street and did some last minute souvenir shopping. We grabbed lunch at Pita Pit (haha!). Finally we went to Minus 5, a cool ice bar that specializes in vodka cocktails. They gave us heavy coats and gloves and were allowed into a room that was, of course, -5ºC! The room had an ice throne and benches, tons of ice scupltures and a bar made entirely of ice. We each chose a cocktail and it was served to us in a glass made of ice. Good times!

So that brings us to the end of our travels! We fly out in a few hours and will travel back in time to Vancouver.... haha seriously, we leave at 8pm here on the 28th and arrive at 2pm in Van on the 28th!

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