New Zealand 2007

This post is a compilation of my daily journals from our second trip to New Zealand. They used to be on our web site until Rogers started eliminating a lot of the free stuff. Pictures to come eventually.

February 6, 2007

The lost travel day on the plane….
The food on the plane was good (even in our economy class). Supper included beef, roast potatoes and zucchini, followed by cheesecake for dessert and cheese and crackers. It was accompanied by a glass of New Zealand pinot noir. Now we’re onto something! Breakfast was a cheese omelette with hash browns and baked tomato, peach yogurt, cranberry muffin, juice and coffee. The entertainment included lots of choice of movies, TV shows and games (Suduko, Blackjack, mini golf, solitaire, etc.) I didn’t watch any movies, but they did have Sideways and Lord of the Rings.

February 7, 2007
Auckland

Landed in Auckland at the untimely hour of 5:45 a.m. and spent some time mulling around the airport. No point in showing up at the hotel when you know your room won’t be ready.  We did eventually take the shuttle into the CBD (Central Business District) to our motel in Parnell. We stayed at the Barrycourt Motel, which is also a Best Western. Out came Rob’s rewards card for the Best Western chain. My description of the room is the following: good for one night, when you spend your day exploring. It’s not that it was dirty, just a bit dingy.

Once checked in, we set off to find the discount store we had shopped at last time. Without a name and with our jet lag it made for a bit of a challenge. Eventually we asked a woman working in a dry cleaning store. She knew exactly what we were looking for: the Warehouse. We stocked up on a few supplies, then did a boat tour around the harbour. Learned all kinds of things about the commercial aspects of a harbour.

In the evening, we met up with Erika, my second cousin, for supper. Thankfully she came to pick us up. I’m not sure we would have had the energy to walk to the Viaduct and back. And we were so unoriginal, all ordering the same fish and chips. Neither of us knew the other existed, and we almost didn’t meet up at all because Rob and I were only in town for one evening. It is nice to know you have family, however distant, half way round the world. She emigrated from South Africa, and originally planned to stop in New Zealand on her way to Australia. But she’s fallen in love with New Zealand and has no plans on leaving now.