Auckland Day: 1

Our first Auckland day took us to the Auckland War Museum, whose name is misleading because there's much more than just war history there.  I have already stated my distaste for museums, but this one was ok and at least kept me partially entertained for a couple of hours.

In the afternoon, we took a ferry to Berkenhead.  We had an all-day pass on all public transport, including ferries, and saw that the next ferry out was to Berkenhead.  We said, why not?  After a lovely ride to Berkenhead, we then asked ourselves, Why???  It was basically a residencial area.  It was not looking good when a bunch of non-touristy folks were boarding the ferry, but it sure makes for a great story.  Everytime we passed someone, we talked loudly about visiting Sam's grandma.

The real highlight of the day was the Auckland Chinese Lantern Festival.  Not only were there Chinese lanterns to celebrate the Chinese new year, there were crafts, a fortune teller, and almost 2 blocks of just food!  Oh, the food.  So many delicious food in one area.  I also enjoyed the lion dance and performances.  A spectacular event, Auckland, spectacular event.

We had taken the train into and out of downtown and it was a pleasant ride, actually.  I find public transportation to be clean and comfortable, if not convenient or reliable.

 

The next day James invited us to his ward's picnic at the beach.  When we first got there it was soooo cold!  But the day warmed up and it was fantastic.  I had fun playing in the water and eating those delicious NZ sausages.  Also, there was a yummy Costco-sized chocolate cake; however, it tasted much better than Costco.  MmmmmMMMMmmmmm.

In the evening we celebrated Sam W.'s and Natalie's half birthdays by getting together at Joy's house and watching movies.  Good weekend!