Auckland, New Zealand

Kia ora and welcome to Auckland, New Zealand's largest city with a population of just over one million people. There is a distinct Pacific flavour to the 'City of Sails' and this can be seen in the streets and the local markets. The vibrant waterfront region, built to its current state for the America's Cup sailing challenges, is now a well-frequented local bar and restaurant hub. If you have extra time you might like to take a day trip to one of the many outer islands found in the Hauraki Gulf.

We arrived in Auckland very early after being on an airplane for 2 weeks. Actually it is a day ahead in NZ so it's comforting to know that it's already tomorrow somewhere. So we tried to deface NZ currency which is IMPOSSIBLE because it is made out of this futuristic fiber that the astronauts used to buy gifts on the moon. I am rambling. That's what a 12 hour flight can do to a man. What were we talking about? Oh, yeah. Auckland. What a fabulous city. We attended a native rock festival which is very much like an American rock festival except people are nice and don't throw up on your shoes! We ate some vegetarian food and drank some vegetarian beer and rocked out to the vegetarian stylings of a band called Naked and Famous. In NZ, they were only half right with that name. This is where we met up with our stellar Group Leader, named Jo, and our fellow travelers. We all bonded in a restaurant by the ocean but I can't remember the name but it doesn't matter because in NZ EVERYTHING IS BY THE OCEAN.