Kia-Ora "greetings" from New Zealand

After a holiday reprieve, I'm back in the blogging action! It was great to be home and spend time with my family, but I was ready for my next adventure...away from the snow and on to New Zealand!

I got/get the question a lot... Why New Zealand? For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to journey to NZ.  I can tell you it's not because of LOTR. I tried watching that with my Mom last week and just couldn't get into it. (Sorry for all you die hard fans).  

A friend sent this to me! Haha. 

I've always been intrigued by the general beauty of the country. The pictures look amazing, and the country looks full of places to have outdoor adventures. I was also attracted to the Kiwi way of life. New Zealand (Auckland) always makes the list of cities with a high quality of life. I'm excited to be in a place that values  experiences more than things. 

Back in college when I was applying for study abroad programs, my first choice was Barcelona (where I ended up) and my second choice was Auckland, New Zealand.  I'm so happy I was able to spend my time in Barcelona, but I still always had the desire to see what New Zealand was all about...so I decided to make that happen. 

When making my trip plans, I was able to save a LOT of money by flying directly out of LA, so I decided to fly out to CA a few days in advance to spend some time in southern CA. I spent most of my time in the San Diego area. I fell in love! I might have to move there some day!

I also spent a day venturing around LA. Not as impressive (to me) as San Diego, but I did get a kick out of drinking coffee with the rich housewives of Laguna Beach, feeling inadequate with my rental car driving around Beverly Hills, laughing at the 14 security guards outside of Louis Vuitton on Rodeo Drive, seeing a girl on the Bachelor (Brit), and taking this terrible( but funny) pic of the Hollywood sign. 

My flight from LA to Auckland (NZ's biggest city-- in the north part of the north island) was great. It was one hour early (12 hours instead of 13), and I was through customs, with baggage, and on a bus to town before I was scheduled to land. I was able to check into my hostel early, and they even had my room ready. (I splurged on a private room for the first few nights). I took a little nap, showered, and hit the town by noon. 

I was worried about jet lag, as New Zealand is 18 time zones ahead of PA. (Right now it is 3:00pm, Tuesday in NZ and 9:00pm, Monday at home). I'm just thinking of it as I am 6 hours behind, and ignoring the whole day of the week thing.  (Good thing I don't work in the stock market). That being said, jet lag was not bad at all to defeat. I'm still going to bed too early and waking up too early, but I've always been prone to that even back home. (At least the early to bed thing :-)

My first afternoon out and about in Auckland was was sunny and beautiful. I walked down the main street and to a park on the harbor where there was a farmers market and lots of grass to relax.  It was good to get out and walk and be in the sun. One perk I forgot about (being that NZ is in the opposite hemisphere and currently in summer), is that it stays light here until 8:30 at night!! The days feel so much longer!

Check out that crazy street performer! 

Cheers to New Zeland!

Day two I went on a free walking tour. Apparently, Auckland is just catching on to Europe's extremely popular free-walking tour concept. The tour just started last month, but it already was gaining quite a crowd. Even though there was less history to hear about, I still enjoyed learning about the city and meeting the others on my tour. 

On first glance, I was sort of unimpressed with the city of Auckland, itself. After reflecting and learning a bit more on the tour, the disconect made sense. I'm used to travelling to the old and historic cities of Europe. Due to their history they usually have a lot more charm. Auckland is a baby, though! They just celebrated their 175th anniversary a few weeks ago. That being said, it makes sense the buildings aren't structurally as beautiful. 

Even if they had a rich history, it's seems Kiwis place less emphasis on things being visually perfect. Again, this was a change for me, but I think what the country lacks in historic charm, it will make up for in natural beauty! Emphasis on people and experiences, not buildings and places. 

Speaking of people and experiences, this city is FULL of good vibes! The people are fantastic! Wow! From the minute I arrived I felt so welcomed! It helps that their accents are so stinking cute. Everyone is overly helpful, funny, and down-to-earth. I read it was a pretty casual country, and it really is. Every one looks like they're ready for a hike or outdoor activity. 

As I learned on my walking tour, the city is attempting to incorporate the Kiwi's playful attitude into the city. This is evident with some of the new areas being developed that have a lot of whimsical touches that make their outdoor living spaces the more inviting.

Even Kiwi pets are cool!

Yesterday I took a ferry out to an island in the harbor, Rangitoto. It's the most recently active volcano (650 years ago). I wasn't sure what to expect, but heard the views from the top of the volcano were really great. On the ferry over I met a really nice girl. She was born in China, but moved to New Zealand when she was younger. She just finished law school in Sydney, and was home for a mini holiday. She said a lot of Asians moved here in the 90's. There's evidence of that in a variety of ways, especially the food choices! 

We decided to hike together, and took the longer route all around the island before going up. It was quite cool because there were black lava fields every where. Because it erupted so long ago, there has been plenty of time for vegetation to grow. It was amazing to see all the beautiful trees and plants that existed, considering the history. 

It was an overcast day, but the views looking back at Auckland were still quite beautiful. 

Squinty eyes!

On the way down we climbed through some caves that were where lava once flowed through. It was a lot scarier than I expected. I must be getting old. 

Overall it was a good day. It was nice to make a new adventurous friend, and she gave me lots of good hiking advice for the rest of my trip. Sadly, all the pictures of the two of us were on her camera, so I'll add them once I get them from her. 

When I finally got back to my hostel, I was totally exhausted. Each day I'm doing a little bit more, but yesterday did me in! 

Today I got up and checked out of my hostel. No more private accommodation...bring on the bunkbeds and earplugs (and cost savings!)

Then I met a friend of a friends who is living in Auckland. She works for Green Peace here and she not only made me a delicious breakfast but she also gave me lots of good New Zealand advice. She was really cool, and I am looking forward to meeting back up with her once I'm back in Auckland. 

Today I took care of a few final things before I leave on my bus adventure tomorrow. More to come on that...