Day #2, Auckland

Ahhhh...sleep is good! Already adjusted to the 18-hour difference thanks to the sunny, warm weather. Wen and I put on our walking shoes and backpacks and off we went, city maps in hand, no real plan. We stopped at a breakfast/coffee shop, Wendy had an awesome quiche, I had toasted coconut bread with cream cheese and lime marmalade (must make and can that this year!), plus "black pudding" aka blood sausage. Amazingly tasty! Had some communication issues with coffee. The waiter looked annoyed at our asking, later I found out we should be asking for a "flat white," not coffee with cream. Oops! Not our first (or last) "we're tourists!" mistake.

We made our way through the city center and headed towards the Sky Tower, I believe it is the highest building in the Southern hemisphere at 220 m! Me, the one that is scared of heights, clutched the handrails and would not venture to the edge of the window. I was still able to see amazing views of Auckland, the bay and surrounding islands. People were bungee jumping from the top! Jinkies!


By around noontime, we headed out on a ferry to Rangitoto Island, a volcano island estimated at a mere 700 years old. All the volcanic rock is arranged from giant lava flows so long ago that created ridges and valleys every which way.


Lichens grew on some, allowing future and current growth of ferns, tea tree plants, the mangroves, plenty of other bushes and trees. It was amazing to see flora rooted in volcanic rock. We took a "safari" tour around the island, hiked 355 stairs (whew! Thank goodness we are in good shape!) to the volcano rim, crater and at the top was another 360-degree view of the surrounding islands and gorgeous aqua blue water. Why is the water so blue? I must find out.



The remainder of our day was spent walking around and relaxing, getting ready for the driving portion of our trip. Where will we go next? Stay tuned!