July 2nd
Trip Start
Jun 27, 2008
1
4
33
Trip End
Aug 30, 2008
Auckland,
North Island,
New Zealand
Thursday, July 3, 2008
I'm writing this on the 4th so the details may be a little muddled. I am still sick. When I wake up my throwt tickles and I have a caughing fit, but my throat feels better after I've eaten something. I'm determined not to let this dang cold (that's what my mother's calling it) get in the way of me enjoying my stay in New Zealand. Me and my mother split off from the elderly folk again today. We walked down to sky tower after reading some more of "the Secret Life of Bees" and finishing the morning crossword. At Sky City information center we bought our tour tickets. They cost us 30$ each but we would be able to visit 14 locations for an hour each around aukland. Looking at the pamflet we found we'd already been to half of the 14 locations. Wich ment we got more time to spend at each of the locations we hadn't been. Waiting for the explorer bus wasn't was strenus as waiting for the shuttle to take us to Kelly Carlton's. The bus is a stiking light pastel green, very hard to mis in mid morning trafic.
Our first destination was a small market. The audio recording used to replace the tour guide told us that the space had been used orriginaly for garbage disposal and now contained the market. The market was a short walk from the where the bus left us. On the way to the market we walked past a park and a play ground. I spent some time getting aquainted with the jungle gym. The market itself was charming. I love markets, with all thier little boutiques and stalls, and all the prices are reasnable let alone affordable. We boughts some things there, I perchased a pair of bright green plastic earings and mother bought a shirt, a pair of earings and a little geco magnet that will probably find residence on our fridge. We missed the first return bus so we spent another hour in the market for lunch. We stopped at a little cafe and ordered their breakfast spetial, which includes two pieces of french toast, one block of hash browns, a small serving of sweet onions, a very orange yoked egg and 4-6 pieces of bacon.
When we were finaly able to hop back on the bus, we went to the musium in hopes of being able to watch the mawii tribal show at 1:30. We arrived at the musium and couldn't watch the show because the doors had closed, we were 5 minuts late. We spent the remaining hour looking at the facinating mawii artifacts. They were a very advanced society for "barbarians" as the french called them and they had built wonderus wooden homes. They must have had a lot of great artist for there carvings were and still are amazing as well as their totem poles, houses, and storage facilities. We also got to see their fishing tools, baskets, clothing and other utencils. The musium kept a historical archive of New Zealands own history, such as what their school has been like, how their fashion has changed and they kept memerobilia of all the popular pop coulture they've had. This inclused, the spice girls, prince Henry or is it Williams? savage garden ect. They also had a special music room full of musical artifacts...instruments through the ages, a lot like the one in Boston but with more flutes and clarinets.
We then went to a little town the do some more window shopping. This place was so quaint the whole place was made up of little shops, expencive little shops. The only place that we found that had anything affordable was a backery. 2.50 for a piece of cake or a browny wedge. There were many small alley ways that led to more shops and there were little places hidden along the alley ways that you wouldn't know about if you didn't live there and like to go exploring to find the nicest barber or hair dresser.
Our last stop was a little look out. It was very windy, so windy that we almost fell over getting off the bus. It was beautiful and after a while the sun did come out. We then went grocery shopping at food mart. They have a hwole gluten free isle, so my mom finaly found some food she could eat. Even though the prices were still steep they were still less then those at the cosrner stores. Mom bought a small grocery bag that has some insulation in it for when we need to take the milk and such to our next destination. It cost us 2$ so I'd say it was a good buy. I guess I should tell you all that there's no tax here in New Zealand. They include all taxed in the price. Which is nice, but it took me some getting used to concidering what you see is what you get. So if you buy something that says 20$ on the tag you don't pay 22$ you pay 20, yay.
miss you all lots
Sabine Ng
