New Zealand Phase 2: Going North

Welcome to the City of Sails

Over the past two days, I said goodbye to my amazing globetrotting parents and hello to the North Island of New Zealand. Mamma and Daddy headed back to the States from Auckland, and I headed to the city center. After spending the evening reorganizing and resting, Mr. Smith, AT host extraordinaire, arrived to take some time off from his busy life to accompany my on the second part of my Down Under adventure. We went on an afternoon sightseeing tour around Auckland, New Zealand's largest city (25% of the country's population lives here) with a local, and saw lots of the main sights, including the famous harbor, the botanical gardens, and the beautiful shoreline.

View of Auckland from the top of Mount Eden, a dormant volcano

After our tour, we went out sailing in the harbor, since you can't come to the City of Sails and not get on a sailboat.

Sailing on the Pride of Auckland

We had a great cruise and a great dinner of pork belly and lamb at a local pub, and prepared to get a bright and early start. We are doing a 14 day organized tour, so we have to stick to a bit more of a schedule, even though on many days we will be able to choose our activity for the day. Mr. Smith and I are the youngest people on the 45 person tour by about 2o years, and we both love it. This crowd seems to be exactly our speed. On our first full day, we headed out early to work our way southward on the North Island. We stopped in Waitomo to see the famous glowworm caves. Unfortunately, there are no pictures allowed in the glowworm caves, but the sight was eerie and beautiful. We went on a silent, pitch black boat ride through the caves and the entire thing twinkled like the sky at night. Very cool.

Entrance to the Glowworm Grotto

We reached our overnight city, Rotoroua, at around 4:30 pm. We walked around near the famous hot pools for a bit, and the thing that makes this city famous literally hit us in the face in the form of a very strong sulfur smell. This whole area is famous for geothermal and volcanic activity. Apparently the geothermal waters here are very therapeutic, but the smell is so strong I'm not sure I could stand to take a dip in it. Nonetheless, it's a very interesting city, and the area holds strong cultural significance for the Maori people. In fact, we were treated to a Maori "Hangi", or "feast", and concert featuring traditional Maori dancing and singing. It was lovely, and a wonderful kickoff the the second phase of my adventure.

Me, Mr. Smith and Toni, Maori Princess

Quote of the Day: "If they bring out Justin Beiber, I'm leaving." -Fellow tour mate before the concert