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.

Zoo

After a tasty blueberry muffin for breakfast in the flouro green Hollywood Bakery, we discussed what to spend the day doing. It was beautiful, clear blue skies and sunny weather, so we took a wander round the harbour front and debated about what to do.
We located a warehouse clearout concentrating on hats so I managed to finally purchase a hat to stop my poor head constantly burning in the sporadic sun. After trying on many variations (including a multi-coloured sombrero and some floppy cowboy style hats) I bought a plain cap that should work for outside work (should we ever secure any). Val secumbed to the lure of some sparkly scarves and a lighter bag.
After some subliminal brainwashing, we decided to go to Auckland Zoo and set about finding the right bus stop. We boarded, paid (for singles, no returns in NZ for some reason) and traversed up Queen St and K'Road and on towards Motions Rd.
The Zoo was awesome. We ambled happily around in the sunshine, looking at sealions gliding effortlessly through rainbow saturated water of their environment.

 We laughed at the antics of the acrobatic spider monkeys tumbling through the air and into a bush after a plastic bottle cap. We stared, struck at the epic amount of sound that the siamang can produce from its throat pouch. We strolled over a high boardwalk looking out over mock savannah at elegant and stately giraffes, rotund zebras and the odd fluffly ostrich.

We watched as an inquisitive emu snatched food from a startled baby and as wallabies leant backwards on their knees to bask in the shade.
We took a break for lunch and then continued round, looking at the uber-cute red panda curled up in its nesting box and the crazy flying fox bats crawling about the top of their aviary looking like aging rockers in baggy leather trousers. Then we took a tour round (and under) the meerkat enclosure, crawling through tiny subterranean tunnels in order to pop our heads up into plastic bubbles and so look the meerkats eye-to-eye.

We all succumbed to the delicious ice cream on offer and watched the tigers deciding whether to come into the open or not, as well as finding a beautiful lionness sleeping right up against the glass on her enclosure. We were the thickness of the pane of glass away from her, she was so big, with cushy solid paws and twitchy sides as she dreamt away the afternoon in the sunshine.
We were weary after the day exploring various creature features and went to catch the bus back into Auckland. I somehow got hiccups (usually I get the odd, random hiccup. I do not tend towards prolonged periods of hiccupping). I was mocked by a German lady to her baby and called 'Frau Hicksy'. Sad times, I say! Mocked! In German!
We rode back on the bus and relaxed in the Suites for a bit. Later in the evening, Alex's Aunt Bren arrived from Oz. We all sped out of the apartment and towards the Skytower round the corner. It was just before dusk and we headed into the base of the tower to buy tickets to take the elevator up to the top. In the foyer, was the biggest and most glittering Christmas tree, surrounded by fairy lights. With tickets clutched in our hands, we entered the elevator, got the spiel and zoomed upwards, the glass panel in the floor showing the speed at which the ground was leaving us.
After mild confusion about the platform access, we got to the top viewing deck. Auckland was spread out in front of us, like a toy city. We could see right over the skyscrapers and gridded road systems, over to the harbours with the white sails soaring up into the sunset sky. Lines of pale lilac, pink and peach strung out accross the clouds, lit up from beneath by the fading sunshine and city lights.
As darkness fell, the city lights came alive and the whole of Auckland glittered. It was much more Christmas-like than during the daytime. It was beautiful and a lovely experience. We enjoyed the Christmas decorations up the tower.
With hunger gnawing, we grabbed noodles from a 24hr shop on Queen St and snarfed them down before retiring to bed.

Rangitoto

We rose early in time to catch the wonderful coffee and muffin offer at the Hollywood bakery on the corner of Albert St. We zoomed off down the road to meet Val, as we were running a mysterious 5 minutes late. I had a delicious frothy mochaccino and a chocolate muffin of goodness to start the day. Ah, every day needs to start with a muffin.
After breakfast we mused as to what we should do for the day. The weather was a sort of mizzling grey and we walked down to the harbour to try and suss out the weather possibilities for the rest of the day and also the timetable of the ferries.
In a spurt of decision-making firmness, we bought tickets to Rangitoto, one of the three islands off the coast of Auckland. What makes it exciting is that Rangitoto is an active volcano and no-one lives there or runs businesses there (unsurprisingly really). So, we our hastily purchased packed lunch in hand, we boarded the ferry with a group of hyperactive school kids and set sail!
Our ship was called the 'Wanderer', particularly appropriate as this is the name of the main character in the book I just finished reading. (The Host, Stephanie Meyer, Very good). We bumped up and down on a few of the wilder waves and then the captain upped the knots to about 18 and it seemed as if we flew over the waves. The foam at the back of the ship was pure, blinding white and frothy. The sky turned ever more grey and mist-like however.
We reached Rangitoto jetty and the air was clear of the lurking mist but humid all the same. We disembarked and set off to find the walk trail to the summit. The whole island was covered in rainforest (to my surprise, the guidebook issued a strong staement declaring no life on the island at all) and pumice stone. The rock was so black, and the edges of the island covered in mangrove trees which twist and curl into the water lapping against the shore.
Upon finding the trail, we started off, aiming for the summit. Rangitoto is not especially high compared to some of the mountains we have tackled, but the incline definately started to wear you down as you climbed! The ground was uneven, moderating between copious quantities of loose pumice (slippery) and large rocky formation that had us scrambling upwards. There were occasionnally the addition of steps, but the jury is out on whether these are better or worse...
We finally gained the summit and it was definately worth it. We stood on the viewing platform and watched as the sky cleared over Auckland, distant across the water.

The sun streamed down and lit up the water into turquoise and you could see the thin ribbon of the start of the trail, and the ferries coming in and out of the jetty entrance.
We had lunch and then began the climb down again. We diverted off the path a few times to explore other, less frequented paths, such as the one to some lave tubes and caves. These were pitch black, dark holes off the path and into the undergrowth and beyond.
By the time we made it back down to the start again, we were tired and our feet were starting to feel weary of the constant slide of the pumice. However, the ferry denied us entry as it was a special Harbour Cruise ship, so we went and sat on a bench overlooking the water for a while. We walked around to a Kowhai Tree Grove, dense rainforest and loud chirping crickets surrounding us.
On our return, we found another ferry, but that denied us as well as it was a different company from our tickets. Doh.
Finally, our ferry turned up, just as the weather began to turn cold, windy and drizzling. We queued (still behind the crazy schoolkids!) on the cold jetty until they let us on board. The exhertions of the day seemed to settle on us then, and we went into quiet mode.
Back in Auckland, we popped to the supermarket to stock up on some essentials so Alex and I can cook a meal for everyone tomorrow. Then we went back to the Chifley Suites for tea and some 'X Files' before heading back out this evening for Mexican on the wharfside.
This was tasty, with a view out over the harbour and the evening sunlight streaming down. After gorging ourselves on burritoes, nachos and tacos, we strolled back to the Suites for some rest and relaxation. I have hot chocolate. All is good.

Kiwi

We awoke, tidied and re-packed, scoffed our remaining yoghurts and checked out of Base Hostel. Once the important business of returning the key was done on time, we headed to the jobseekers office for a consultation.
The results were unpromising. We were told that jobs at the moment are practically endangered, due to seasonal issues and many redundant Kiwis. Oh dear. We faced absolute dread as the possibility of not being physically able to work, and therefore, the realisation that the money was out hit us.
However, the nice lady, Jodi, phoned a hostel a Hawke's Bay on our behalf. The idea here is that the hostel owners in work-saturated districts use their position as a sort of go-between backpackers and contracters. Therefore, once we have a booking in a hostel, the owner will lead us into jobs as the contractors call each day needing workers and the owner can tell them how many willing people are ready to go. This is probably what we shall end up doing, as it allows us the slim chance of work, whereas nothing else seems to hold that option. It is still a gamble though, so we have left it for a day in the hopes that something better will come along or that there will be increased chances of the venture working in our favour.
In the meantime, we popped along to the bank and sorted out our very own New Zealand bank accounts. We are now practically pure Kiwi, as many natives keep informing us when they hear how long we have been in the country.
We spent some quality time in the library again, Alex finishing up his portfolio site and I freaking myself out with the accuracy of a palmistry book.
Then, we popped along to the Chifley Suites to harangue the receptionist once again - this time, for entrance to the upper realms, where Alex's mum, Val, had arrived a few hours previously. It was bizarre being back in an identikit copy of the room we occupied back in September, but cool as well and lovely to see Val. We had tea and a chat and then Alex and I embarked on a foraging mission for pizza.
Amazingly, we managed to get lost on the way to the pizza place and discovered a whole new road in Auckland, with mosaic walls and restaurants. Once we located Dominoes, we ordered our tasty pizzas, inhaling the scent emanating form the ovens and I resisted, with every ounce of self-control I could muster, adding chocolate fudge brownies to the list of pizza and garlic bread that we bought. It was hard!
We returned to the Chifley Suites and we all munched through the yummy pizza. It was soo good! Being without an oven is not an option for the future, natch.
We have made plans for tomorrow's meeting, as phones are proving to be tricky beasts here. Its muffins at dawn and more plans from there!

City

Our hostel is over about 6 floors of a giant straight up, straight down block on Queen St, the main shopping street of Auckland. As such, the little block rooms are surrounded on all sides by more little block rooms. The walls are very thin, like paper in fact. We have a couple of stereotypical American girls to one side, who seem to constantly be drying their hair. On another side, there is a couple who keep storming back to their room and then having massive rows, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone can hear them. A few doors down, there is a dorm of boys who enjoy staying up until the early hours swigging back beer. To contend with this, we have a fridge that appears to be auditioning for the opera, with its continual gurgles and droning. We also face right onto the street, which, come both Friday and Saturday nights, has been filled with noisy revellers and police sirens. But nevermind, for it is comfy enough and it keeps us out of the rain which is currently plaguing Auckland.
It is strange, being in a hostel with so many people after living in the car for two months. It is like one giant flatshare, with slow elevators to take us from floor to floor (stairs are for fire escape only). The huge communal kitchen is stuffed with bags of food, all labelled and stacked haphazardly about. The lounge is generally host to a few people, kicking back and reading leaflets. The computer room is always full and there is a dark room, filled with sofas and the odd person snoring where you can go and watch a movie.
So, Saturday, we went to the library and stayed there for most of the afternoon, until it shut at 4. We found a space to work in amongst all the students studying for their finals (End of term in a few days, muchos stress and panic seething through the air for those who have not yet finished their revision) and got stuck in, jobhunting and cv perfecting and all that jazz.
Back in our room we viewed the building just over from us which spent the day having a gigantic plastic santa and reindeer and presents attached to it, to the disruption of the traffic. For some odd reason, Santa's face is entirely swathed in fabric with a sign promising that 'All will be revealed' on Sunday at 1.30. Neither Alex nor I are exactly sure what they mean by this - Santa's face is pretty much generic merry man complete with white hair and beard. Alex has a theory that it is going to be Michal Jackson's face, in memory. We shall see, anyways, later this afternoon.
We had dinner (hooray for pasta) and splashed out on cheese to make it palatable. Now we have a fridge, the sky is the limit - you have no idea how much you miss cheese until you have no fridge. Once we had washed up, we wandered into the movie room with our hot milk and cookies (!) and grabbed a sofa for optimum viewing. The film appeared to be about 20 minutes in, I'm not sure what it was called, but it was highly entertaining, involving a rogue super computer's plan to replace everyone in the chain of command in America and reset the government, using explosive crystals and a sonic trumpet. Once this cinematic gem has finished, we headed to bed, in lieu of the hostel's adjoining bar plans of wrestling for a prize.
New Zealand appears a little more conservative than England in that the shops close early on a Saturday and most don't even open on a Sunday. So with the library only open for 4 hours today, we are not entirely sure what to do with ourselves. Santa's reveal will obviously be much more entertaining than we expected, as it is likely the only thing that will occur today other than the job hunting...

So, an edit for today's happenings. We went to the library again and worked for a bit. Later on, we saw Santas face, revealed to the masses - it is overtly cheery, and his tongue is poking out. It is actually a little disturbing, but never mind. We watched the epic Christmas window display at the big department store (to rival Harrods) It consists of mechanical puppet mice working to ake presents, put on a theatre show and generally have a fun and sparkly Christmas. We'll take some pictures to put up tomorrow.
We saved on food all day and treated ourselves to the cinema this evening to see New Moon. In Alex's expert opinion the CGI was both well done (the wolves) and beyond awful (the water).
We had pasta and cheese for dinner and it was taaasty! Now an early night to prepare for the morrow!

New

So, we knew this day had to come, eventually. We had prepared as best we could and packed and preened Newt up for his grand relinquishment, back to Spacestation Auckland.
We drove back to the Penrose Spacestation and, sadly, gave up the keys to the lady on reception. The end of an era has been reached.
The loss of Newt was felt deeply and immediately, as we then had to carry our very heavy, unwieldy bags up a hill to the train station. We caught the train back into Auckland city and then spent an hour or so trumping about looking at hostel deals and prices. After an almost-cave to the enchantments of the Chifley Suites, we found Base ACB in the center of town, right on the main street. We got ourselves a room for the next two nights and were allowed to leave our bags at reception while the room was cleaned. We went off to the food courts to snuffle up some lunch, having had only a cereal bar for breakfast.
In the bustle of a busy lunch hour food court (oddly situated on the upper floor instead of the usual basement) we found pizza. It was good. We stared at the Christmas decorations swathing every possible surface in mild amazement - we know its coming, but it doesn't seem Christmassy to be wandering around town sans coat, scarf and twenty other layers. I was in sandals!
Returning to the hostel, we got to our room (a small, oddly shaped room overlooking the main street, painted a sickly cream with red velour curtains and a very noisy fridge - but still almost four times the space we had in Newt!) and dumped our stuff inside. Tired already from lugging the bags about, we had some down time where Alex became unconcious and I checked my emails.
Later in the afternoon, we went into town to check our post! How exciting! After locating our temporary address, we both found the post - two unassuming plastic boxes shoved under the desk in the corner in supposed alphabetical order - and marvellously, we have both been granted IRD numbers, so we can now continue on in the steps necessary to 'Getting A Salary in New Zealand'.
We returned, once again, to Base and sorted out dinner. Yum. We had the tag end of our packet of noodles, rehydrated with powdered tomato soup. Luckily, we also had cookies waiting for us in our room, to be devoured for afters. While we ate we had an enjoyable conversation with Paul, a traveller from Belfast who had just arrived in NZ after a seven month stint in South America. So, after many questions about llamas and mummies in Peru, not to mention Aztecs, we allowed him on his way again and came back upstairs to munch on those cookies, along with hot milk from our powdered milk stores (we ran out of hot chocolate powder!) So, now we resemble small children being granted hot milk and cookies as a treat for being good. Doh.

Trees

Sooo, yesterday rained, it poured and it thundered. Thus, the weather prevented us from our planned activity. So, instead we visited the black sand beach by our campsite and watched, amused and horrified, as surfers threw themselves about on the very high waves in the rain and the cold. Crazy. It reminded me of the black sand beach in Kawhia - so, so soft and with  purple tint.
Anyway, luckily, today dawned bright and sunny so we set off to Tree Adventures!
After driving through the dense, dark pine forest we arrived and kitted up in harnesses and helmets. We were appointed a practice session leader and joined up with a group of giddy ladies on a hen party trip to learn the basics...and find out how to stay alive high above the ground!
Once we had passed the practice course, we were released on the rest. Being us, we had decided to do all nine of the courses, each getting harder and higher. The courses started out about 8m above the ground and the last one was about 20m up. They were composed of collections of zip wires, swinging logs, various formations of walking wires, swings into giant rope nets and tunnels.

By the time we got to course 8 (the hardest physical course, 9 being more about the psyche-out aspect) we were tired but confident in our ability to leap across the void onto precariously strung up bits of wood, to crawl through madly swinging tunnels of slatted wood and to zip accross large open spaces on tarzan swings or surfboards strung up on wires.

 However, this course opened up a whole new level of exhertion, starting with a climb over a slack rope net (hard), then an attempt at the monkey bars. Now, both of us are absolute ninjas where monkey bars are usually concerned, but these were rope bars, they were high above our platform (which was, in turn very high above the ground) and so we both ended up just dragging ourselves along it...only to find the next challenge, which was to cross the gap between platforms on a sloth rope.

 


To make things easier for myself (if only!) I managed to do this backwards, which was highly painful, uncomfy and nerve-wracking. I almost ended up stuck on it as I couldn't see the platform I was trying to stand on due to facing the wrong way. Doh. Alex managed it fine, we continued on to rope swings into a giant net.

 Once we had managed to complete the whole forest of activities, we ate a muffin each in reward. I have to stop paying people to put me into bizarre situations. Although, hanging upside down on a long zip wire careering through the forest? Worth it.
We drove on and through Auckland again, in preperation for our relinquishing of Newt back to the Spaceship HQ tomorrow, in Penrose. We have spent the evening clearing out the car, packing and tidying up. We're chucking out anything unneccessary, as well as trying to find a way to pack that somehow makes things lighter...