April 4 - 6:35 pm

Well, I'm here. Back on the south side. Yesterday morning Winston picked me up from my hostel and drove me to the airport. And being the nicest person in the world, we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts on the way and got donuts, and then stopped at Subway and he bought me a footlong sub to take with me for lunch! Nicest! I am so glad I was able to meet him here and hang out with him and Claire. So anyway, I made it on my plane just fine and landed in Christchurch to much gloomier weather. It was overcast and raining a tiny bit, and definitely felt like fall. I was able to take a city bus into downtown Christchurch, and from there I walked to my hostel. The city centre isn't really at all how I pictured it in my head before I got here. I'd heard from people that it was really desolate and kind of ghost town-like, or post-apocalyptic, since the earthquake in 2011 left it pretty messed up. And that part is absolutely true. I thought you'd be able to walk around the whole city and see the destruction, but I thought there would be a lot reopened or rebuilt, and that the whole city wouldn't feel like a war zone. But it did. The actual city centre, about 8 or so square blocks are all fenced off and parts of it are under constant reconstruction. Walking around the perimeter you see glimpses of what used to be there, the shops and businesses, all demolished, or just abandoned. Cathedral square was something I was looking forward to seeing, and you can walk up pretty close to what's left of the cathedral, but it's not accessible at all. So many old buildings here that have all fallen apart. It's really sad. And it didn't seem like anyone was out on the streets.. It was just eerie. And maybe it was the weather that kept the people inside. I don't know. But I thought to myself- wow, this is bonkers. I'm glad I could see this. But I don't really want to stay here too long. Two nights will be fine.. So I grabbed as many informational pamphlets about the surrounding areas as I could from the i-Site as I could and went to the library for the free wifi. I spent all night planning and mapping and calculating my next three weeks. Finally came up with a good plan and called it a night.

So today, I woke up and partook of the delicious homemade bread the hostel puts out for breakfast. I showered and got ready and set out to see more of this broken city. Really, if I hadn't taken a bus into town from the airport and seen the suburbs so alive and healthy, I'd think this place was a lost cause, but I saw a lot today too that gives me hope for them here. I walked around more of the residential areas of the town, got lost a few times.. The maps and street signs here are so confusing! But I made it to the museum and spent some time there. There was a really fascinating exhibit on Antarctica and some of the expeditions there. I don't know why I liked it so much! Maybe the South Pole will be my next adventure?? Hmm.. So yeah, that was cool. I walked around the botanic gardens a little bit. Then went to the Re:Start mall, which is a small outdoor mall made of shipping containers. They've been turned into stores, and it's really really cool. Great little shops. Some big brands, other local New Zealand stuff, cafes, etc. and then there are the food trucks all parked there too. Street buskers, free wifi, arts and craft booths. Really fun. I did some shopping, hung out in the sunshine for a while, and then I realized that the people here are doing alright, and the city will continue to get better.
I headed over to the library again for more computer time. I booked all my hostels, buses, trains, and shuttles for the next 7 days! So take that! I think I've put in enough time to be considered an official travel agent. Maybe that's my calling in life. I'd say I've done a pretty good job for myself so far! But then again, it's been a huge pain. So that's why it's so nice that I got so much done today! That being said, I head to Akaroa tomorrow. Then I have Arthur's Pass, Mt. Cook, Dunedin, and Queenstown in my future. Time now for some cereal for dinner.

April 2 - 9:50 pm

Last day in Auckland. Can't say I had any super cool adventures, but it was still a good day. I did all my laundry, which NEEDED to be done. I talked to mi madre on the phone for a bit. I met a new roommate in the hostel named Brigitte from Switzerland. And a man Ience(?) from Germany who had been to Utah and loved it almost as much as I do. I walked down the notorious Ponsonby Road, known for its cafes and nice shops. Strolled down to the wharf. Headed up High Street, which is the fancy shopping area of town. Back by the Sky Tower once more. And then up Ponsonby. Had to hurry back to the hostel to get my little carton of milk into the fridge. Just enough for my cereal in the morning. Made mac and cheese for dinner. Walked through Western Park - Auckland's oldest park. (As you can tell, I'm basically an Auckland expert now.) I packed my things. And that brings me to now.
Good times on the North Island. Let's see what you got South Island.

April 1 - 9 pm

Happy Easter Monday! That's a thing here in New Zealand. Really it's just an excuse to have another day off work, but not such a bad idea. Good Friday too! Listen up USA!
Today was really good. As usual. The weather turned out great. I was able to spend most of the morning at the beach in Orewa. It was fantastic. I actually woke up really early - like 7:30 - and needed to get something from the supermarket for breakfast, so I went out for a walk right about 7:30. It was nice being out before the rest of the town was awake. And the sun coming up over the ocean was amazing. So I hurried back from the store, ate my bran flakes and banana, and got ready to check out and get to the beach! About 9 am I was walking along in the water, looking at the millions of sea shells that had come in with the tide. The water was the most perfect temperature. I found a few really cool shells that I'm bringing home. Figured I had to - it could be the last chance I get to be on a beach in New Zealand! Made the most of it.. Walked the entire length of the beach - about 3km - and then found a grassy hill right by the beach to sit on, and I just sat. For maybe 2 hours. Watching the waves and the people. Best morning.
Stopped in McDonald's for a 60 cent icecream cone when I got a call from Dad. The fam was all together eating Easter supper. Missed that. Gotta talk to Mom, Dad, Conor, Denney, Molly, Dave, and Eveny. Tully was there too I think. Good to hear from everybody. The call cut out unexpectedly though.
I headed to the bus stop. It was supposed to get in at 1:50. I waited until 2:35 when it finally came. So that was a fun little wait. But the bus ride was only an hour, so it wasn't too bad. Got to my hostel okay. Verandah's, on Ponsonby Road. A different part of Auckland I didn't get to see when I was here last week. It's the hip part of town. Winston called to see if I wanted to go tenpin bowling. With his accent, I had the hardest time understanding what he was saying, and finally figured out he was saying "bowling". So I said sure. We picked up Claire and her sister and went to the slummiest bowling alley ever. Quite hilarious. And I was given the bowling nickname "USA" and proudly represented my country with a score of 96. Took the silver medal. Winston took gold. We played pool too. It was all very fun. When they dropped me off I went and got myself another burger from Burgerfuel. Again, it was amazing.
So tomorrow I need to explore this new area of town and then I think I'll be satisfied with my time spent in Auckland, and on the north island. I've done almost everything I wanted to do, and a lot I hadn't planned on doing. Success indeed.

March 26 - 10:40 am

I didn't get in until 11:30 last night. Getting crazy in the big city! Ha not exactly, but it's true, I got back to the hostel pretty late because I had gone to a comedy club here to see Winston do his routine. He's competing in a stand up contest, and this was the fourth or so round. It was pretty good. About 10 comics each had about 6 minutes of material. There were about 4 that I thought were funny. The others, not really. The MC was really good though, and it was all fun. Afterwards, Winston and I went to Carl's Jr. for a taste of home, and then took me back to my hostel. Really nice, fun guy. I'll see him and Claire next week when I come back to Auckland.
Before all the late night craziness, I had a day full of hiking and exploring the volcanic island of Rangitoto. Had to take a ferry out to it. Just 25 minutes from Auckland's harbor. So Rangitoto is New Zealand's youngest island, only forming about 600 years ago as a result of a massive volcanic eruption. So the whole island is covered in black lava rock, but I was surprised at how much green plant life was springing up through the rock. Amazing. It took about an hour to reach the summit. Fantastic views of Auckland city and also the volcano crater. A perfect little bowl, where all the lava spewed out, now covered in plant life. Cool cool. Coming down, I took the long way, walking down to McKenzie Bay to see the lighthouse, then along the coast back to the wharf. Neat landscape, good views, fun day trip.
So yeah, it was a nice day. Today I'm just killing time until 1:00 when I take the bus to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. Because I just have such a stressful hard life, I planned to spend about a week in the beachy paradise of New Zealand's most beautiful beaches. Can't wait!

March 24 ( cont.) - 11 pm

Just a lot more park strolling and wandering today. I was killing time in the city until 4, when I thought church was, but turns out it was at 1, so I missed it. Saw a flash mob. That's all.

March 24 - 11 am

The day is starting out great. I got up early, like I always do, and showered/ate breakfast. Then called my bestest friend Brooke to talk! First time FaceTiming with her since I've been in NZ, so it was great to see her and talk. I miss her. Then I called my other bestest friend Kate! She was with another best friend Martha! So we all got to chat for a while. It was so nice to see some of the people I love so much today. One more month until I'm home with them again!
I headed out to the French market again for another treat. Cinnamon donut :) and walked to the Auckland domain, where I am now. At the tennis courts, watching old rich people play their Sunday matches. I wish I could play! Lots of tennis for me when I get back this summer!

March 23 - 10:30 pm

Everybody told me that Auckland wasn't too great, nothing special, just a big city. So I had low expectations.. Turns out I really like it. For a city, it's not bad at all! It is big, and so I'm limited in where I'll be able to go in the time I have, but I think I'll be able to do/see a lot still. Like today, I stumbled across two really great little Saturday markets. A French food market, which was amazing. The best food market I've ever been to. All kinds of pastries and breads and dips and cheeses and meats and cakes and coffees and produce! I sampled pretty much everything, and actually purchased a delicious blueberry danish. Walking further into town I stopped at a lot of good little clothing stores. Just to look, I don't think I'll be buying any clothes here. But it was fun. Right around the city centre I went to the Auckland Art Gallery. Beautiful building! Old, with modern updates. Lots of good art. The featured collection was Victorian art, which I'm not really in to, but they had quite a bit of contemporary art and Maori portraits that I liked.
After the art gallery I found Albert Park and sat there for a while, enjoying the sunshine. Great weather, kinda cloudy, but perfect temperature. When the sun came out it felt nice, but got too hot real fast.
From the park, I walked around more of the city. Up Queen Street and down K' Road. Those are the real big streets here. Queen is the main street. K' Road is the funky shopping road, like Haight and Ashbury. Spent quite a bit of time looking around. And then went to the Sky Tower! The tallest structure in New Zealand, and the Southern Hemisphere! Over 1000 ft. I paid $18 to go to the top. It was neat. Great 360 degree views. It really doesn't look that high from the ground, but from the top you feel like you're in the sky. Cool.
I was starving when I got down. But I had to drop off the cheese I had bought in the fridge at my hostel before I could get something to eat, so I walked the 40 minutes back. I had my mind set on having Burgerfuel for dinner. It's like a fancy fast food burger joint. I knew it was kinda pricey, but I worked up an appetite and deserved a good burger. For the bacon avocado burger and sweet potato fried it cost me $17. At a fast food place! This country has lost it's mind. But I will admit, it was one of the best burgers I've ever eaten. I liked it better than Fergburger in Queenstown..
Got back to the hostel and settled in. Another busy day ahead.