N E W Z E A L A N D
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Sat, 4 Oct: This morning we arrived at the Adelaide Airport early and enjoyed the hospitality (especially free internet) at the Qantas Club. Our flight to Sydney (en route to Auckland) was a bit delayed so we had to scramble in Sydney. Thankfully, our Sydney-Auckland flight too was delayed so we actually ended up with some time to enjoy Duty Free shopping. The flight itself was excellent. Our pilot (female) kept us posted on ground delays. Then the service, wines and food served in flight were excellent!
Upon arrival in Auckland we arranged for a bus transfer to the Elliott Street Apartments, our home in the Central Business District during this journey to New Zealand. Due to flight delays, immigration and customs formalities, we didn’t arrive at the hotel until 8:00PM. The city was bustling so we headed out for a walk. Amazingly, Ed immediately knew where we were at because we had stayed in this same area some five years ago when we were regularly coming to New Zealand for fly fishing. It was fun to be able to walk the streets without worry. We returned back to our apartment late evening and called it a night.
Sun, 5 Oct: After a relaxing morning, we decided to go shopping. We began at the Victoria Park Market. It’s a collection of shops that are located in the old Auckland City Depot. After wandering around there and ultimately finding some great jewelry for Lindy, we next went to the New World Supermarket. There Ed was in his element – shopping for fresh mussels and other ingredients to make our evening meal. Upon returning back to the apartment in the afternoon, Ed began preparations for the evening feast of risotto with lots and lots of mussels. Of course, the delicious meal was accompanied with some equally delicious wine!
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Victoria Park Market - A great place to shop |
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A view of Sky Tower and downtown |
Mon, 6 Oct: We woke up to our first day of rain. So, we decided to take advantage of Auckland’s free bus system in the Central Business District. We enjoyed our dry vantage point while enjoying the city sites. We ultimately ended up at the Sky City Casino (no gambling; just a break from the rain). Afterwards we returned to the Victoria Park Market where Lindy once again bought some beautiful jewelry – this time, fresh water pearls. Very nice! We did a bit more shopping at the market and then returned to our apartment. We spent the balance of the day there doing laundry, repacking, etc. in anticipation of our travels to China.
Although our time in New Zealand was brief, we continue to enjoy this lovely country and its warm, friendly people.