Exploration 101 — Auckland, New Zealand
Our first full day in New Zealand! We had designated today to be a rest and exploration day, and we a lot more of the later than the former. 5+ hours of hiking around Auckland has given us a much better perspective of the city, where we are, and what we would like to do.
Our bikes still haven't arrived, so that left us only with our own two feet to see the city on. We began by heading North from our hotel down to the waterfront. Along the way we passed a few parks where I attempted to teach Ruth-Anne some of the rules to cricket. Thankfully we both decided it's a silly game that we have no interest in, and that put an end to that.
The waterfront is incredibly nice, although I would say Sydney is still prettier (but I am biased). Seems there are hundreds of boats moored along the docks, including the Team Vodaphone ocean racing boat.
From the waterfront we headed back inland to walk through the city center and tourist district of Queen Street. No doubt we will be back down here for souvenirs and the like.
The afternoon saw us head East towards the University of Auckland and the war memorial. This route was a lot hillier than the morning walk, but no less beautiful. We toured the university campus, the war memorial, and the Auckland Domain (a park).
The way home was marked with us getting lost for a while, but the Sky Tower was able to provide a good reference point to head to and we did make it home. A good day of exploration, and tomorrow the Triathlon festival starts, so that will likely keep us busy for the next few days.
Bike update: They have arrived as of 8:00pm. Thanks to the US Transportation Security Administration they've even been unpacked and repacked for us. I'll be sure to give my thanks to those numbskulls the next time I see them.