New Zealand Auckland June 29 - July 9

New Zealand's population is approximately 3.8 million ...2/3 of which are in the North Island (and it feels like most are living in Auckland). It's a very pretty city with many harbours...packed with sailboats. There are also several islands just off of Auckland - Waihiki is one that we visited. We joined some friends from the hostel for a day out around Auckland harbour and then took a ferry to Waihiki.

Waihiki is a very laid back island with nice views and beaches. It seems to be the weekend getaway for Aucklanders. We got a kick out of their parking signs!

We sold our car (yeah!) for almost the same price that we bought it for. So, we explored most of Auckland on foot. We stayed in the posh neighborhood of Parnell... a victorian style village with lots of cute shops and restaurants (but pricey!). We celebrated the 4th of July with our new English friends - Gill and James. We actually met them in Kahoe.

We also checked out the funky Ponsonby neighborhood, St. Heliers, and Mission Bay. We thought Mission Bay was a really nice area - with lots of neat coffee shops and a big beach. While we were in Mission Bay, we saw a guy in the water that was "riding a kite". We don't know what this sport is called, but this guy was on a very small surf board (about 3 feet long) and he was steering a large, oblong shaped Kite ...which was propelling him through the water...very fast!

Auckland seems to be the entry point into New Zealand for many backpackers...but it's also a waiting lounge for those flying out. We had "heaps" of fun in New Zealand! It's a country that has just about everything - beaches, mountains, volcanoes, glaciers...and it's easy to get around. It will be hard to top our New Zealand adventures, but we're looking forward to some outback fun in Australia!

region	lodging	$US / night	rating	notes
Auckland	Marco Polo	$16.39		Nice wood building
	City Gardens	$18.86		Old victorian house, we had best room w/view!