AUCKLAND

AUCKLAND

Tuesday afternoon we had to go through Security for the first time since we arrived in New Zealand. All of our domestic flights were on small Prop driven planes, a bit larger than a crop duster but still a Prop. One Kiwi commented about the lack of Security checks, as we know them to be in the states: "Who's going to fly a Prop into a building?" Ha Ha!

Our flight from Christchurch to Auckland was aboard a Jet, thus the Security, I suppose. However, Security was much nicer than getting our flight canceled and loading us onto a Bus!

We stayed in the Rose Park Hotel, just across the street from the Rose Garden. Our modest rooms were clean and comfortable. The Staff was nice and everything worked. Their restaurant was very good. I had yet another plate of Fish and Chips, and the fish was excellent!

Wednesday morning we dressed and headed downtown trying to figure out the city bus system. We bought a full day pass that covered busses and boats. We hopped on the Green Bus and rode around sightseeing. We stopped on in a posh shopping area and met up with an acquaintance of Nancy; a friend of a friend kind of thing. We visited for a few minutes before proceeding on our way.

We ate lunch downtown in the main Bus Terminal. Afterwards we walked across the road to the wharf where we took a couple of cruises. It was a beautiful for a ride across the Bay. The harbor was teeming with activity but there was plenty of room. Parked in the harbor was "The Dawn Princess", a cruise ship we had seen cruising in Milford Sound a few days ago.

Following our return to the Wharf, we took a walk through downtown towards the tall spire, or tower, sometimes referred to as the "hypo needle" (as if a needle is giving a shot in the sky). It is similar to the Space Needle in Seattle except this one is much taller. We stayed on the observation deck until after sunset. It was a beautiful evening. The hard part for me was trying to walk the dark streets back to the station, where we caught a taxi anyway! I just can't see well at night and stepping on or off of a curb can hurt!

Today ( Thursday ) we went to the local Aquarium and toured the Penguin exhibit. It was a lot of fun to see them in their own frozen habitat. They are so entertaining! I could watch them for hours!

We are currently in the airport. Our plane is scheduled to take off at 10:45 (90 minutes). It's interesting how the International Date Line and Time Zones make you scratch your head. When we came to NZ, we lost a day, like a Twilight Zone episode. Flying back to LAX, we leave Auckland at 10:45 PM Thursday and arrive in LA at 3:00 PM Thursday. It's like if I sent myself a text message before takeoff, I would get it more than 7 hours before I sent it!!! Go figure!

It has been a good vacation. NZ has a lot to offer and there was much we didn't see or do. I'm sure it will be here for another day, another time.

Richard and Jan: so sorry you couldn't be here with us. We had a great time. Our best to your brother and his family. Keep in touch! My Blogs will continue until June in case you wish to follow us. Come see us in the States!