Out and About

The first day I spent walking all around Auckland. I walked to the Viaduct Harbor, over to the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, and up and down the streets of the city center. After I got back to the hostel, exhausted from my few-hours walk and calves burning from traversing the hills of Auckland, I decided to take a nap. That nap turned into a 12-hour comatose sleep and that was the end of day one.

On Thursday, I decided that I’d do some sightseeing. I caught the free shuttle to Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, where I saw penguins, sharks, stingrays, and hordes of interesting looking fish. After, I decided that I would check out the Auckland Art Gallery. Art galleries only half appeal to me. I like the idea of them, but most often boredom sets in really quickly. I took a lap around the gallery, which didn’t contain many impressive paintings (but what do I know), and it was back to the streets for me. I have to say that I'm able to navigate the city pretty easily for only being here a few days. I barely have to consult the map. Dad – you would be proud of me.

The highlight of Thursday was doing the Sky Jump off Sky Tower. It’s a 192m base wire jump off a building – I did it twice because the guide offered me a second jump for free. The first time I went down forward and the second time I did backward, which is a bit disconcerting because you fall backward off the platform without seeing where you’re falling. It was exhilarating but didn’t last as long as I would have liked. It was a good starting point for the rest of my extreme sport escapades.

Yesterday, I spent at Auckland Museum and Lionzone Breweries, which ended with a beer tasting. Carlo – you would have loved it. I met two girls from California who gave me some good tips on wine tasting in Napier/Hawkes Bay, a place farther along on my itinerary. I planned to go to Parnell Village also, but was so cold that I headed back to my hostel instead. I wasn’t planning on the weather being so frigid and it’s only going to get colder as I travel south.

After I grabbed a jacket, I walked to K Rd., one of the main thoroughfares, to grab something to eat. I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast at 8 that morning, which is probably why I was slightly buzzed off two small half-pints of beer at the brewery. It seems so far that food is the first thing to go – I eat more as an afterthought or out of necessity, rather than out of wanting to enjoy the experience. I should probably try to sample the local cuisine more, but it’s a bit intimidating. I haven’t encountered a single restaurant with actual waiters yet. They all seem to be self-serve cafes or places you order and seat yourself, which half the time leaves me standing in the doorway trying to figure out the menu while the employees wonder what I’m doing. I’m hoping to explore K Rd. more today. There are tons of boutiques, shops, and vintage stores – not that I need any more clothes or anything.

Last night, I went out to Globe Bar with a few people I met while doing the Sky Jump. It was actually a lot of fun, not much different from bars/clubs in New York. The music I have to say was great. Sheryl – they played Madonna’s Like a Prayer, which reminds of me of that time at Pi Lam. I had a great time and was happy that I got to see Auckland at night, since the previous few nights I’ve been passing out at 7pm out of exhaustion.