Bloom

On Thursday, Alex and I met up with Val in the Hollywood bakery for another tasty muffiny breakfast. I mananged to figure out the offer on the muffins included hot chocolate instead of the exclusive coffee I had thought it to be offering, so now I am no longer bizarrely hyper for an hour after breakfast.
We returned to the Suites to pick up Bren and sort out what we should do. We decided at length to make a trip up the hills and dales of Auckland city and go to the Domain Gardens, there to see the Victorian Greenhouses (hot and cold) and generally enjoy the sunshine that was pouring out of the sky.
The buses were (unfortunately) not working in the morning, so we struck out, up the practically vertical hills. However, luckily we did not end up taking the exact route Alex and I took earlier in the season when we visited the Domain, so we did not have to repeat the gruelling experience of the walk to K'road. Instead, we deviated from the prescribed route and meandered through Albert Park, which was much more pleasant of a hill to wander upon.
Once we had arrived in the Domain, a wide sweeping space of lush green lawns and hyperactive school kids at sports day, we sauntered about admiring the goslings and ducklings and generally cute things ending in 'ing'.
We found a little cafe, much to our relief as we were all quite peckish by this point, having hiked our way up there. We all had toasted sandwiches on the terrace, overlooking the waterbird pond and fountain, with trees swaying in the breeze and the sun keeping things warm.
After lunch, we popped into the Wintergardens. The hothouse displayed a variety of rainforest plants, many of which Alex and I have seen in their natural setting in recent weeks. There was also a fernery, filled with the green smell of foliage and curling fronds. Last, the cold house. It was a riot of colour and scent in there, so beautiful. The gladioli sprung from the ground in every colour combonation imaginable, the orchids spilling out of their containers in bright masses, the roses blooming in large, gorgeous flowers. I went into a frenzy of macro photography and emerged, blinking into the sunlight about half an hour later.

 We swished onwards, leaving the park behind and moving onwards and upwards, past the musuem and through a delightful sensory garden filled with herbs and soft furry leaves.
The buses were back in action by this point, so we caught one back into town. Alex and I returned to our dorm for showers and a change of clothes and then we rejoined Val and Bren to take a stroll around the Quay and look at the yachts. After selecting which yachts we would individually own (making up somewhat of a fleet) we selected a place to dine, called 'Meccas'. Here, we sat in an enclosed outside area, a bit on the breezy side but with a lovely view across the viaduct basin. We snacked on tasty bread and dips while the conversational waiters popped by every so often to drop tidbits of information about the food in, as well as mercilessly pick on me at every occasion. I really don't know why I provide such entertainment for these people. Doh.
In the evening, we just relaxed at the Suites, watching tv while Val and Bren planned their route with random helpful asides from Alex or myself. Then, to bed! It was a long day, and the bed at our hostel resembles nothing so much as a medieval torture device and is thus rather tricky to catch a good nights sleep in.