Also in two days I am leaving for my Magic Adventure. I only call it this because that is what the company calls it. I am travelling with a company called the Magic Bus and they offer several tours and travel passes all called something different. The one I am going on is called the Magic Adventure. The Magic Adventure consists of a circuit starting in Auckland and ending in Auckland and passing through many places along the way including 13 highlighted places. The deal with the Magic Bus is that you purchase the pass and there is a minimum amount of days it takes to complete the circuit but you can take longer if you want since you are booking your own accommodation. So I technically have 180 days to complete my circuit, but I do have to start work at the end of May, so I have to be back by then. I am thinking that this trip is going to take me close to a month to complete. Don't worry I will be updating you along the way, I'm sure. I am also setting a goal of completing 15 things off my list! There are a total of 40 (nice work btw!) tasks to complete on my New Zealand To-Do List and to date I have only done 3, so this trip should kick it into high gear! I am not going to tell you the 15 things I think I will for sure be able to accomplish on this trip, I am going to leave that to be a surprise!
I have been exploring Auckland and what it has to offer since I got here, and it seems like a pretty
good city. I have also been very much enjoying the beach bum lifestyle. The weather (apart from yesterday and today) has been so friggin nice that it is hard to keep myself away from the beach. If there is good weather on my trip I am sure I will have the same problem. Now those really are some white people problems. Or should I say some tanned people problems! With all the beach time I have been putting in I have been getting some colour too. There is a beach just minutes from the downtown called Mission Bay and it is so close that I can hang out at the beach all morning and take in some tourist stuff in the afternoon. It's great! Some of the tourist things I have done recently are; taking the ferry to Devonport, The Museum and Domain, and the Art Gallery.
Devonport is right across the harbour from the CBD (downtown or central business district) and is accessible by ferry. You can drive there too but it takes longer and is less nice then a quick ferry ride across the harbour. Once arriving in Devonport the streets are lined with shops and cafes around the ferry terminal and you can blatantly see that it is geared towards rich tourists. I spent my time walking around to different areas like Mt Victoria an old volcano turned defence fort, and the north head. The north head is a raised section of land right on the shore of the harbour. Here they built forts and things for defence back in the 1800s. I also spent a few hours at the beach there in Devonport. It was a really nice beach and given it was a long weekend lots of people were away so it wasn't crowded in the least. It is still strange to me the tides in other places. Growing up on the Bay of Fundy you take for granted the tides there and how spectacular they really are. When people say the tide is out here my answer to them is always, “But the water is just right there.” People think I am exaggerating when I say that back home when the tide is out all the water is gone and you can't even walk to the water. You people from the Bay of Fundy know what I am talking about. It is strange to see the tide out and you just have to walk and extra 4-10 meters to the water.
The Museum was very cool and I learned and saw a lot of things from the Maori culture. The museum here in Auckland showcases the Maori people and their history in New Zealand. I find it very interesting because they are so much different then the Canadian aboriginals. For instance back home any of the exhibits at home depicting native Canadians is sure to have pelts and animal hides made into blankets, coats, etc. Here there is none of that. The Canadian natives had to endure long cold harsh winters, but here, give em a grass skirt and a head dress and set them free! Not to mention the style of carvings, paintings etc are all different style then at home. I have grown up learning of the Canadian aboriginals and now it is nice to learn of some others. I look forward to learning more about the culture during my trip around NZ.
hmmm. One of my favourites was a little box, like a room that you could go inside. The walls were painted with vertical stripes, but not just straight lines up and down. They were kind of staggered a bit. Then the floor and ceiling were made of mirrors. It was a very cool experience to go in there (even though I had to hold my skirt shut so people couldn't see up it on the mirror floor) and feel like there was no ground beneath you and no limit to above you. All in all it was a great trip to the art gallery.
Well that is all for now, I have to go and pack for my trip. I will keep you updated when I can. Peace!
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