Exploring Auckland and Even a Bit More

Kia Ora (hello in Maori, native people of NZ)! I've been up to a lot in the last week.  I've had a nice little mini vacation before school starts.

On Tuesday I went on a sunrise hike to Mount Eden, a volcano crater in the middle of the city with a great view.  It was amazing to watch the sky go from beautiful city lights to radiant sunlight.

After getting some more breakfast and a quick nap I met up with some other gals and we headed to Takapuna Beach. 

It was a beautiful beach. The exploring, swimming, and relaxing was great. 

This day sure was busy because it doesn't end here.  On the way back from the beach we ran into other people who were headed to The Sky Tower to watch auditions for the NZ version of X Factor, so we tagged along and enjoyed some free music.  Surprisingly the candidates were very good and some of my favorites were only 15 or 16 years old!

After this we just grabbed some pizza and called it a night.

The next day was my Education Orientation which was rather uneventful,  and since it's on the North Shore Campus we were already half way to Takapuna Beach, and so we returned for more beach fun.

The next day (Thursday) we headed to Waiheke Island by Ferry. 

We had a beautiful walk along the coast, then headed to the beach.  

After a lunch of yummy fish and chips and some beach time, we headed up the hill to a winery.  I had my first real wine tasting.  I would say it's not my favorite, but it was a fun experience.

After wine tasting we caught the bus and explored another beach. 

Then we ventured out for dinner at the adorable Oyster Inn. Where I had the best macaroni and cheese I've even had!

After our lovely dinner we headed back on the ferry and almost all of us were lulled to sleep on the boat. 

The next day I rested from my adventures and then that evening I went to see the Auckland Blues play rugby.  It was a great game and the Blues won!

On Saturday morning I went to a very cute farmers market and bought a lot of veggie at good prices, which I used for a stir fry, salads, and snacks throughout the week.  Someone selling veggies also gave me free flowers since I was a visitor to Auckland. 

Right by the market were huge bean bag to sit and relax on!

After a free lunch I headed over to The Auckland War Memorial Museum.  It was a very impressive museum with three floors and great exhibits, and all for free!

After this I hung out and made my first real meal in NZ, a huge stir fry. 

Then on Sunday we had a final Hurrah before classes started and rented vans and drove to Piha Beach. A beautiful black sand beach with great surf, although it can be dangerous. 

On the hour drive to the beach it began to rain and was foggy, getting us worried that our beach day might not go quite as we hoped. 

Luckily though the rain and fog didn't last long and we just went on an exploration walk and by the time we finished the sun was shining!

The beach was great and we had a lot of fun in the surf!  after having a nice picnic lunch we headed to the Kitekite waterfalls.  It was amazing! Even the walk there was pretty, it looked like a rain forest. 

After a VERY refreshing swim (the water was freezing at first), we returned to relax on the beach.  I also took a walk up the gigantic rock in some of the first pictures, Lion rock, and the view was spectacular, but my camera died so I couldn't try to capture it. 

After this we just headed home and rested before classes!

I'll fill you in on my first week of classes later, and also about my upcoming trip to the Bay of Islands this weekend.  I might post a little later again though, more like Monday.