Jan 22, 2005 - Beaches around Auckland

Caught the bus back to Auckland. Got there about lunch time and texted a friend who happened to be in town. Spent the afternoon investigating the beaches at places called Piha and Wareware. The sand on many NZ beaches is, or contains, a lot of volcanic ash so they are quite black. The beach at Piha is where the movie "The Piano" was filmed. Going to have to watch that sometime to see if I can recognise the terrain.

Jan 21, 2005 - Auckland (New Zealand)

We arrived in Auckland expecting to be freezing cold only to get sunburnt driving from the airport into the city! Apparently we had caught the start of the good weather after what had so far been a terrible summer here. Auckland is a lovely city surrounded by the sea and harbours on most sides. It's actually separated into 4 or 5 cities. The City centre (Auckland city) is very small - only about 1 square mile but this is surrounded by massive suburbs e.g. North Shore city, where about a third of the countries population lives. We spent our...

Jan 15, 2005 - Auckland with Nat & Jamie !

We left our final rural retreat to head for urban metrolpolis of Auckland. After our first traffic jam of the whole trip (and some very good directions) we finally arrived at the Fronczyk-Barlow residence, where a grand reception awaited us ! After a quick tour of the lovely new abode, it was off into Auckland city for a spot of site seeing. A drink in the Viaduct, a fruitless flutter in the casino and it was off up the SkyTower for some stunning views of Auckland and the surrounding area. Then it was back to Nat & Jamie's for beer, bbq &...

Jan 14, 2005 - Off to New Zealand

Today marks the start of my journey overseas. Okay, so it's only to NZ which is really just another state of Australia (grin). But it's another country with its own culture and customs, so something new to see. My first few days will be spent in and around Auckland at a friend's bucks night and subsequently the wedding - and recovery no doubt.

Jan 12, 2005 - Thank you Maketu

We've left Maketu again, this time for good. While we were there, Paul and Delwyn got engaged and so did Scott and Lauren. There were all kinds of parties and get togethers. We spent lots of time with Ashlyn (Paul and Delwyn's daughter) and Maddie (Mike and Shannon's niece), and celebrated everyone. It was so great to meet all of the people we met, and catch up with friends. Maketu was so friendly and the people there are welcoming and some of the nicest people I've met. They all made our stay there perfect. This entry is really just to say...

Jan 8, 2005 - Auckland, New Zealand

After a very long day (flight departure from Tahiti at 3:00 AM), we have arrived in Auckland. It was interesting to leave Tahiti, fly for 6 hours, and have only a one hour time change; but we crossed the International Date Line, so we are now a day ahead of the U.S. After checking into a hotel and getting cleaned up, we met with Andree, a friend of our sailing captain and friend Steve, who gave us a tour of the city. It is a beautiful city surrounded by water. Then it was off to a raucous dinner with a group of her friends. The next day we...

Jan 3, 2005 - On the Plane and Arriving

On the plane we could barely sleep. We were traveling at an altitude of 11600 meters. The ground speed was 907 Kilometers per hour. When we arrived we met our old friends Robin Kelso, Errol Costello, and Neal Gow. We got on Robin's coach with the 25 students and began the ride to Christchurch and Lincoln University. When we got to Lincoln, we gave out keys to apartments and went out on a tour of Christchurch and shopping - for all the stuff the students forgot to bring!. Later there was a scavenger hunt. The students had to walk around...

Dec 31, 2004 - Finally in New Zealand!

I'm here! I'm in Auckland! The sun is shining, it's warm; it's a beautiful day. I'm exhausted. The flight from Hong Kong to Auckland was 10 hours. It was long, but I did manage to sleep despite a inconsolabel crying baby! Once I got settled in to the hostel, and had the BEST shower ever, I set out to explore the city. I wondered towards the Sky Tower (similar to the CN Tower - glass floor and all) and took lots of good pictures of Auckland. The sunny weather afforded excellent views. While at the Sky Tower, I began talking to a guy named...

Dec 29, 2004 - Back to Auckland, New Zealand

I flew back to Auckland in time to see in the New Year, landing in the rain! As we descended beneath the clouds on our approach to Auckland airport, I couldn't help but smile to myself and think "welcome home son!". I'd decided to stay in a backpackers on Fort Street, in the centre of Auckland CBD. I had organiser to meet Senaka and stay at his place, but the Tsunami in Asia had struck Sri Lanka so he'd flown over there to see his family. It felt strange staying in a hostel when I had such a lot of knowledge of Auckland. However I was able...

Dec 27, 2004 - Auckland AGAIN!!!

I have finally come to the end of my journey in New Zealand! To be honest I am ready to leave now, which is good as I really think I have made the most of my time here! I have made some excellent friends, Lisa, Carolyn, James, Jez, Dee, Liz to name but a few! I have seen a lot of nature; yellow eyed penguins, sealions, kiwi, orca, sperm whales, dolphins, fur seals, albertross, to name but a few! I have done a bit of adventurous stuff; sky dived, white water rafted, flew in a very small plane, jetboated again to name but a few! And, of...

Dec 26, 2004 - Christmas fun

Hi there chums - hope you are well and enjoyed Christmas Day and Boxing Day - looking forward to catching up with all your tales not far from now!!! Well it's the day after Boxing Day and I am sat here with my super healthy and full of vitamins smoothy to try and detoxify the body of all the sins that have passed it's way over the last few days. Christmas Day (and the bit before and after) where so nice. Not sure if I had explained but I wasn't really looking forward to Christmas really as I really appreciate the English version and didn't...

Dec 25, 2004 - Merry Christmas

It's Christmas here, and it's been a good day overall. It's sad to not be at home, but it's nice to be somewhere warm. I hear it's snowing at home. It's at least snowy. Not so much here. I woke up this morning because I was too hot to keep sleeping. Strange, but nice. It's weird to think about Christmas for the last 23 years sitting around bundled up in the living room with flannel pj's on and warm hot chocolate. This year I've worn boardies and a t-shirt all day, and instead of hot chocolate we've had lots of champagne and a beer. Not bad....