The thing about staying right in the heart of a major city is that I can't always tell that I've gone half way around the world. Other than the crosswalks, accents, sushi, and cars on wrong side of the road, these tall buildings and busy people and chain stores could just as easily be any US city as New Zealand. So I decided to spend today in search of the more New Zealandy side of Auckland, and it was a definite success.
I woke up at around 6:30 this morning (I swear I'm not jet lagged) and after a half hour willing myself to fall back asleep I gave up, threw on some running clothes, and went to find The Domain, which is Auckland's equivalent to central park but they really went above and beyond. I passed people playing rugby and soccer (New Zealandy moment #1), and then some overly
friendly geese, and then discovered that there's a jungle right in the middle of the park! When I first got there the sun was still coming up and the whole place looked like Fern Gully. I could see all the shafts of light coming through the trees and reflecting on the dew, which was stunning and I was so mad that I had dressed to go jogging and therefore didn't have my camera with me. The whole day was sunny and gorgeous, probably one of the last really pretty fall days before winter sets in in June. I'm just hoping I get another one before I leave so I can go take pictures.
On my way back I was looking for the only big grocery store around here, but couldn't find it and stumbled on the Auckland farmer's market instead (New Zealandy moment #2), which is a wonderful thing to find when I am hungry and looking for breakfast, so I spent a pleasant hour walking around there and chatting with people.
Then I took a ferry to this little suburb called Devonport and climbed a volcano cone (New Zealandy moment #3), which is far less intense than it sounds. It's really just a grassy hill, which took only me about 20 minutes to climb wearing a skirt and flip flops. From the top there is 360 degree view of Auckland and the harbor and Devonport. Once I was up there I opted not to tour the town and just plopped myself down on the hillside for a couple of hours to read. There were these kids and their grandfather sledding down the grass on cardboard boxes and people with dogs and cute couples all around. The scene was almost too perfect, but since it's summer and I'm on vacation and I have nothing better to do with my time than read and smile at all the happy people with cool accents, I didn't mind.
On a side note, mentioning accents reminds me that I've caught myself trying to speak with a New Zealand accent twice and it's really pretty embarrassing. I'm trying not to let it happen again.
I woke up at around 6:30 this morning (I swear I'm not jet lagged) and after a half hour willing myself to fall back asleep I gave up, threw on some running clothes, and went to find The Domain, which is Auckland's equivalent to central park but they really went above and beyond. I passed people playing rugby and soccer (New Zealandy moment #1), and then some overly
friendly geese, and then discovered that there's a jungle right in the middle of the park! When I first got there the sun was still coming up and the whole place looked like Fern Gully. I could see all the shafts of light coming through the trees and reflecting on the dew, which was stunning and I was so mad that I had dressed to go jogging and therefore didn't have my camera with me. The whole day was sunny and gorgeous, probably one of the last really pretty fall days before winter sets in in June. I'm just hoping I get another one before I leave so I can go take pictures.On my way back I was looking for the only big grocery store around here, but couldn't find it and stumbled on the Auckland farmer's market instead (New Zealandy moment #2), which is a wonderful thing to find when I am hungry and looking for breakfast, so I spent a pleasant hour walking around there and chatting with people.
Then I took a ferry to this little suburb called Devonport and climbed a volcano cone (New Zealandy moment #3), which is far less intense than it sounds. It's really just a grassy hill, which took only me about 20 minutes to climb wearing a skirt and flip flops. From the top there is 360 degree view of Auckland and the harbor and Devonport. Once I was up there I opted not to tour the town and just plopped myself down on the hillside for a couple of hours to read. There were these kids and their grandfather sledding down the grass on cardboard boxes and people with dogs and cute couples all around. The scene was almost too perfect, but since it's summer and I'm on vacation and I have nothing better to do with my time than read and smile at all the happy people with cool accents, I didn't mind.On a side note, mentioning accents reminds me that I've caught myself trying to speak with a New Zealand accent twice and it's really pretty embarrassing. I'm trying not to let it happen again.
2 comments:
I want some pictures next time. Just kidding. Glad you're having a good time.
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