Starting right where I left off until present day...
Our flight from Perth to Auckland was six hours accompanied by a five hour time change so I was a bit out of it when we landed. Soon enough we had found the rental car and were driving into the city. Our only goals for today were to move the bulk of my stuff into my new dorm room and see the city a little, a low bar was necessary after the exhausting plane ride. We arrived at my dormitory a little before it opened but luckily someone was on staff to let me in and show me where I'll be spending the next four and a half months: it's quite cozy! I'll post a picture soon. After moving the most of it (the big suitcase I'd been lugging around) we went out in search of breakfast and a grocery store.
We settled on food around Federal Street which might have been a bit more expensive than the average breakfast in Auckland but the eggs and hash I had were absolutely delicious! I might just have to go back. In short order we also found the closest grocery store to my building and had a blast picking out various living supplies and dealing with an automatic checkout. Once I was fully stocked here at 55 Symonds, we drove to our hotel for the night on the other side of the city: the illustrious Jucy Snooze.
Whatever anyone else tells you about this fantastic establishment: don't listen. With shared bathrooms giving you a chance to socialize any time of day and heat in the basement rooms at no extra charge it's a paradise! Our room managed to fit double-wide bed under a single bunk and a cot to the side. How space-efficient! Anyhow, it wasn't so awful and we spent as much time as we could stay awake in the afternoon heading to a fantastic Mexican restaurant for lunch and exploring the Britobart area of Auckland just on the other side of Albert Park to my University.
The weather was a little choppy for our skipper to actually drive through the hole but we almost did! We also docked on a small island for lunch that had a path to Cook's lookout, where he proclaimed the area to be...a bay of islands. Perhaps not known for his inventive naming schemes, Cook is recognized as one of the first ship captains to attempt to prevent Scury on his ships. While not knowing the exact cause, he did notice fresh fruit kept the sickness at bay and would instruct crew to eat a lot more fresh fruit and veg than other captains and it did wonders for the health of his men. Anyway! After the tour and some final seeing of Paihia we drove to Whangerei, taking time to only drop our bags in the room before going to Tutukaka and experiencing the wonderful beaches first hand. We even took a cool hike into the brush that took us to some mermaid pools, which were unfortunately underwater due to the tide so we turned back and headed for home after an exhaustive day.
On our final day of touring, my family and I began the long road back to Auckland but stopped for two more short adventures along the way. The first being in Waipu caves seeing some glow worms. If you ever come to New Zealand, they are definitely worth the visit. Navigating a damp, dark cave by headlight only to look up and see what appear to be galaxies of stars above you is a breath-taking experience. The worms are all over in the larger rooms but you never see the creatures themselves, just the star-like glow that gives the cave its attraction. Properly muddied up and wet, we eventually left the cave and headed to a beach on the western coast.
Made memorable by massive waves, the time we spent on the beach was amazing. After a minor hemming and hawing and getting soaked by a wave while still in cargo shorts we eventually all donned our bathing suits and battled the powerful waves of the Western shore. Rip-currents would pull us in and out with enough force to notice but not enough to really hinder us. Still, it was a new experience for me and a little jarring at first. Eventually, I just used it to ride waves into shore like on a lazy river. We eventually had had enough and finished the drive, dropping my belongings and me...with plans to meet up for dinner later on. I did some minor unpacking before being summoned to "Pokpok," a nearby Thai place Emma had selected for good eats.
Eats were indeed good, I had Chicken Pad Thai and loved it. After that, we headed back to my room for some Olympics...but in the process of waiting watched most of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Too soon it was time to say goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Emma. It had been an amazing vacation.
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