Land of the Long White Cloud

When I arrived in Auckland I was lucky enough to experience one of the warmest days that they have had this summer, which apparently is one of the coldest summers on record. My days spent in the city have been strangely Oregon-like but luckily I was born adapted to rain. Instead of island hopping and bungee jumping and all the other lame things I had originally planned I have spent my time here exploring the inner city by foot, visiting Auckland museum, and sleeping through my lingering jet lag. The rain finally stopped at dusk tonight, after two days of constant tropical downpour. After eating at a somewhat sketchy Chinese cafeteria I found a part of the bay that wasn’t blocked by cruise ships and finally got a full view of the bay. Auckland bay at dusk is one of the first of many awesome sights I will be seeing in this country, aside from the palm trees which are a tourist attraction for any Oregonian. Auckland is busy city but it is surrounded by beautiful blue water, island and volcanoes. One thing I have learned from walking around Auckland is that you definitely have to look up to see what a cool city it is. The skyline is gorgeous, every other building is either an intricate British colonial style marble building or a towering skyscraper that mirrors the bay. I am hoping that tomorrow it will clear up enough for me to go hike Mt. Eden so I can get a full bird’s eye view of the city of sails. Even though the culture here is very similar to home there are many subtleties I have noticed and a few lessons I am learning as well such as how to flag down a bus, how to order coffee, tipping, and to make sure and find dinner before everything closes at four o’clock. I learned a lot about New Zealand’s history and culture today at the Auckland museum which was a really cool attraction. especially since it was free. Tomorrow will be my last day in the city before I catch the Kiwi bus up to Pahia and the bay of islands on Tuesday.

 After a sleepless flight and the endless process of bio-screening I finally stepped outside the airport in Auckland this morning at 6am…Friday, January 6th. Right when I stepped outside I felt overwhelmed with excitement, I could smell the fresh island air, see the purple sunrise, and feel the heat of summer in January. I spent a lot of my day finding my hotel and taking a long nap. But now I am sitting in an Internet cafe, right on the bay. The weather is about 85 degrees…in January. Nothing too crazy has happened yet but just walking around this city is making me ecstatic to be here. The city is very clean, green and beautiful. It is surrounded by volcanoes and blue waters. Aside from the blisters on my feet, my first day in New Zealand has been perfect. Ordering coffee was a bit of challenge. They don’t have coffee and cream, or lattes, its a flat white (not sure what that is yet) or a flat black. An iced flat black is a shot of espresso on ice. See, I am learning so much already. Now to find food and my hostel. My upcoming posts are sure to be a bit more exciting…right now I am just enjoying the air-conditioning and watching sail boats. Life is so hard right now.

Oh, and the toilets do flush the other way!

Kia Ora!

I have been planing and looking forward t this trip form more than a year. Actually most of my life I have been dreaming of the day I would leave the continent and see another part of the world. New Zealand may not be a completely foreign culture, but despite that it will be an adventure none the less. I will be independently backpacking for three months around a country, I have been told is blessed with amazing beauty and wonderful people, Kiwis! I am planning to face a lot of fears both above ground and beneath, like jumping off cliffs 143 meters high, and white water rafting through caves. Hopefully I will be able to keep up this blog along the way and keep friends and family updated on my adventures and encounters with Kiwis, hobbits, sheep, and giant insects alike.

Getting ready for this trip lately has been an adventure in itself. Along the way I have lost my passport, altered my flight several times, lost a traveling partner, and just five days ago I sprained my ankle. All the while I have found it hard to believe I was actually going to go. I have planed so many trips before this that were just dreams in passing but now my bags are finally packed and the countdown is on. Stay tuned and hopefully I will provide you with good stories, lessons of a great new country and a little inspiration to find your own adventures. I will try to post photos as often as I can, which shouldn’t be too hard since most of my posts will be from my phone.  Kia ora!