I'm here.

So I landed in Auckland without a problem. In fact, the flight over was actually quite nice. It was only half full, so I had an entire row to myself. It was wonderful. I had dinner, took a sleeping pill, layed down and we were there.

I took the airbus into Auckland. The first thing I noticed was how incredably nice everyone is here. Including the bus driver, who got me exactly where I needed to be. I was meeting the girl I planned to stay with for the first couple nights at her office at town hall. I arrived a bit early, so I grabbed some coffee and started flipping through my guide books. I decided to check out the Sky Tower. It's the tallest self standing point in the southern hemisphere, I guess a couple meters higher than the Eiffel Tower. And as it turned out it was just around the corner from me. I also thought it may be a good way to get my bearings. The views were great. Even though I knew that Auckland was surrounded by water, seeing it all was still a bit surprising. And because the Sky Tower is in NZ, it was no surprise that people jump from the top about every five minutes. So that kept me entertained for a while. I think the Sky Tower is worth a visit, but I have a feeling it's a tourist thing. Kinda like the Empire State Building in New York. The locals just don't go up. But that's okay. I'm not a local.

I met Deborah at her office as planned. I met her on couch surfing. I don't think I've posted anything about that yet, but it's a great site that allows travelers to meet and stay with locals. Check it out if you like. couchsurfing.com Anyway. Deborah is nice. We grabbed lunch and then I left my bag at her office as I wandered around. I'm not sure if it was me just being tired or overwhelmed or what, but in general, I was not impressed with Aucklalnd. At least not my first impresstion. It seems like an average city, nothing really standing out. I had been told this before too, so maybe that was scewing my opinion. I'm not sure.

But the next day, after a good night's rest, it seemed better. I walked all over down town. Again, all the people I ran into were extremely kind and helpful. Then in the afternoon I took the ferry over to Devonport. It's an older part of Auckand. I had a lovely afternoon over there. It was a much less typical city. No McDonalds, Denny's or Starbucks. So I hung out there for a while.

Today is my last day in Auckland. I'm getting a slow start. It's been pouring all night, so I'm not too anxious to get out there.
I rent a car tomorrow and drive south. I'm going to try to get town to the glow worm caves before heading over to Rorotura before dark. So that's the plan. I'll check in again when I can. When I get a chance, I'll upload more photos on my link. Although I did add a few yesterday if you'd like to take a look.

Okay, I'm off. More later.