Okay, so here's how this is gonna go. First, I'm gonna get my first couple of follies in NZ outta the way first! Fist there was the few days i spent in Auckland when I first arrived in NZ. I stayed in a little guest house slightly out of the CBD, called Freeman's lodge. The bed was comfy, and the breakfast wasn't bad, so no complaints here, although it was a bit of a walk from the CBD. on my first night, I walked up to Kerangahape Road (K Road) to get some food and i picked up some fish and chips. It was only when I sat donw to eat on a bench that I noticed all the rainbow flags. I had unwittingly entered the gay district. Oh, well, no harm in that, could be worse. I quickly finished my fish and chips and headed back to the hostel. On the way, I tripped on the edge of one of the pavements and took a flying leap right onto my arm. I scraped the skin off one elbow and cut the other hand. It could have been worse. I landed about a foot from a broken glass bottle. I stumbled back to the guest house (I banged my knee too!), and patched myself up with my trusty first aid kit. The following day I walked into centraql Auckland and headed first to the Sky Tower. I took the lift to the top and the views were spectacular. I also visited the little cafe downstairs, which does a nice bit of cake. My next stop was the harbour, where I took a tour right around. it was a great trip, and the captain was so knowledgeable. On my return I visited Minus5, officially the coolest bar in New Zealand (it'a actually -5C). The downside was that I cost $25 to get in and have one cocktail, but it was a good cocktail.
affter that, I decided to head back to the hostel, for a well earned rest. The following day I headed first on a ferry over to Devonport. This is a sleepy little town, but it's quite cute in the way it sits so close to the CBD of Auckland. I walked up to North Head, the site of the Gun batteries used to defend Auckland Harbour during the wars (though there was never a shot fired in anger). The tour was quite informative, although some of the underground passageways were a little bit spooky. I looked for a chip shop on the seafront before I caught a fery back, and the only place I found was in the ferry terminal itself. It was run by an Arab family, and the fish and chip come highly recommended, as do the reasonable prices. Once fed, and back in the CBD, I caught a bus out to Kelly Tarlton's underwater world. This was a bit disappointing, to say the least. There really wasn't that much to see for the steep entry price, and the only highlight for me was the ride through penguin enclosure (although the car was a little cramped). I wouldn't recommend this, as there are plenty of places much more worthy of your money. After another full day of exploring. I headed back to the hostel, passing a kebab shop on the way (the kebab wasn't that good, nor were the chips, but I was hungry). That was it for Auckland for now, as the next day I caught a plane to Napier, home of my Aunts and the Art Deco Capital of New Zealand.
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