Auckland, New Zealand: Days 5 - 8

Friday, December 6, 2013

There are about 4 million New Zealanders, and 1 in 3 of them live in Auckland.  It's enormous. It has two coasts - the east coast has white sandy beaches while the west coast is rocky with black sands. I'm staying right in the city center at the Sky City Hotel attached to the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. 

It's raining when I land, but everyone tells me to wait 5 min and the weather will change.... I'm foggy, tired, and achy. Unfortunately, the extra $$$ spent on the sky-couch doesn't prevent me from getting one of my insane headaches, which I know has been caused by the lack of well.... a bed! It's blinding - not a way to start this trip off! 

I land at 9 AM and the taxi takes me to my hotel, where I just hope to be able to drop off my bag, but they let me check in. Bless you! My room is perfect. Bright, sunny, large. fantastic. (I love TripAdvisor. I planned the entire trip by myself using it.) I have an 11:45 AM appointment. I've bragged about it. Some of you will know what I'm talking about. It's the infamous sky jump. Yes, go to the 53rd floor and just jump off. It's the one thing I didn't do in Vegas, but that was from the 109th floor... THIS will be a piece of cake. Crazy, you say? NO!! It's my birthday. I want to do this up right!

I check in. Get my sky suit on. Special shoes.... multiple security checks and I'm off to the special elevator for lunatics direct to the 53rd floor. On the elevator, I'm asked where I'm from and I say, "Mobile, AL." The immediate response is, "Where the Leprechaun is!" HAHAHAHA  Mobile, AL is evidently on the map. 

In case you haven't seen the leprechaun, I present the video - no more words are needed:

Too bad it's a cloudy day. The view from up here is amazing. Auckland is gorgeous. 

Fun right? What this photo doesn't capture is me 45 seconds later, after I've looked over the edge, hyperventilating, crying and shaking.  My friends, this trip is about finding myself, and well, I found the limit of my insanity. THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I AM HURLING MYSELF OFF A PERFECTLY GOOD BUILDING!!! Thank you very much. Tail between my legs, I say thanks, but no thanks, and run to the elevator to get the hell out of there. I'm given a voucher and have 6 months to return - yeah right. Perhaps it was the long flight, the headache, and the fact that I'm in quite a bit of pain, but my friends, I think the true story is that I'm chicken. There I said it. 

Food... yes, food. I need lunch. I grab a bite to eat and head to the wharf to see where my harbor cruise will take off from (booked for the following AM). From there I jump on the NZ Explorer Bus. Two loops: the red and the blue with unlimited transfers on and off both lines. I decide to take the full red loop, and then connect to the full blue loop. (2 1/2 hours). Whenever you go to a big city, I always suggest doing these very touristy bus routes. They usually have great commentary and you get to see parts of the city that you otherwise might not have had time to get to, but also you can take notes on where you want to visit. It's perfect. Little by little by headache subsides, and the sun comes out too! YAY! 

Around 5, I get back to the hotel and decide to take myself out for a birthday dinner. The Sky Tower has the Orbit Restaurant that revolves, much like the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, NYC. They're booked solid, but I'm not deterred. I play the sympathy card and tell the host that I'm traveling by myself, and it's my birthday! Is there anyway to squeeze little old me in? Voila!! instant table. Remember - being a loner pays my friends!! The views are spectacular.  

It's been a very good birthday, indeed. 

Saturday, December 7, 2013

After a wonderful night's sleep, I'm feeling MUCH better and ready to take Auckland by storm... Fitting because the skies look ominous. Dark black clouds, drizzle....Rain should be illegal on your holiday. Did I really book a harbor cruise in this?!? 90 min in a storm. Good times. 

On the boat, we take off, and when I say it rained, I mean it poured. There are no pics.... you couldn't see outside the window.... It was horrible. BUT, I intend to enjoy myself, so I start talking to the people next to me. A beautiful Welsh gal from the U.K. traveling alone. It's her first time in NZ too. She's here for a friend's wedding. On the other side of me were Pat and Joe, and elderly couple from the Sunshine Coast (Ironic, no?) in Australia taking a cruise around NZ. Turns out they live 2 blocks from where my cousins live, but won't be there when I visit later in the month. We had a great time. I love striking up conversations with strangers when I travel. You get so many great tips. Pat and Joe insist that when I'm in Queenstown (In the South Island of NZ) that I visit Arrowtown and Milford Sound. Someone on the Explorer bus also said to visit Milford Sound, so I've added it to the itinerary.

Because the universe likes to toy with me... As we pull into port, the sun comes out from no where! Argh!!!! The rest of the day is gorgeous. I decide to go to the zoo. On a public bus, I find my way there. After visiting the San Diego zoo, I'm not impressed. I thought there would be cool exhibits with native animals - but no. Your typical Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! (Then I find out that New Zealand has no native animals. All the animals that are here, yes, even the sheep of which there are 40 million, were all introduced by settlers from other countries. They did have native birds, many flightless, but the Maori tribes, who settled the islands first, hunted them almost to extinction. I had no idea.)

What I do notice everywhere is a beautiful tree with red flowery leaves. It's gorgeous. They refer to it as the Christmas Tree:

There is also this tree everywhere:

After only and hour at the zoo, I officially crash. The long journey has caught up with me so I beeline for the hotel, and sleep and sleep and sleep. I don't want to get sick.... I must be well rested because in the morning, I'm off to the SHIRE!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Today's map:

Up at 5:30 AM and out the door by 6:30 AM, always an accomplishment for me. I cannot contain my excitement. My inner geek, nerd, freak, I-don't-know-what-you-call-it, is going to the land of the Hobbits!!! 7:25 AM pick-up.

As I'm waiting for the bus in front of the hotel, I see another person with the same voucher as me.... Blonde, younger, cute.... this could be fun... Of course, once again, never shy, I say, "Hi! I'm Kat. Are you going to the Shire?" He lights up and says, "Why, yes! you too?" The British-guy radar NEVER fails me... This will be a fun day. I now have a travel buddy named Simon Knight.

Our tour guide, Reese, pulls up 2 minutes later and we board the bus, pick up the rest of the passengers and we're off!

First stop is the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. I had no idea what these were when I booked this particular excursion, but subsequently found out that they are on many of the "must see/do before you die" lists. And, Must see, you must! Two hours later we arrive in the rain at the caves. 

Who cares..... we're going underground, into the caves. Down, down, down we go deep into the caves... Photography is not allowed. (So I pulled these from the web to show you) They do not want to disturb the worms.... and I don't blame them... We're first given a tour of the caves, which are magnificent. The caves are made of limestone and at times can be iridescent and sometimes transparent.

We go down even further.... it's getting darker and darker... we get into little boats and now it's pitch black... The cave ceiling glows like stars in the universe. These worms are found exclusively in New Zealand. 

It's other worldly... magical. You can't hear a sound... everyone is speechless... As our guide sings traditional Maori songs that echo through the cave, we float down the underground river, taking it all in. 

This pic is exactly how it looks.... everything just glows above you

I'm glad that they don't allow any photography. The constant flashes would completely ruin it. Every now and again, it's OK to unplug and just experience something...

We come to the end and as we emerge, it takes a few moments to adjust and comprehend what we've just seen. 

But there is more to this day....We get on the bus again and drive another two hours to Rotorua, where the bus to Hobbiton will meet us. You can't drive directly to the movie set. It's directly in the middle of a someone's farm. So we get picked up by approved buses and drive another 45 min to Hobbiton. On the way we're told a few stories about what it was like during the filming of the movies. Peter Jackson rented out the neighbor's farmhouse as well and built a film studio in it. There, every night, they would review the film shot that day and then make plans for what they would need to do the next day. For the first three movies, they filmed for almost 4 months in the "shire." 

Evidently, there was a particular tree on the farm that sealed the deal for Sir Peter Jackson. It's why he chose the location. It's the tree from Bilbo's 111th Birthday in the first movie, "The Fellowship of the Ring." 

Here's the tree from the movie:

and here is the actual tree:

Peter Jackson knocked on the man's door to discuss filming on his land, The farmer told him to go away and come back at another time; he didn't know who he was and his Rugby team was playing on the TV!! That night he told his wife what happened and when Peter Jackson tried again the next day, the farmer's wife let him in and said, Yes, you can absolutely film on our land! Hah! Thank goodness for the wife!

We finally get to the gates, and Simon and I are all grins. It's overcast, but the rain has stopped...

They present the Shire in the perfect way. There isn't anyone dressed up as Gandolf, Bilbo, or Frodo, although many people who visit do dress in costume... but Alas, we are a boring group, and everyone is normal... 

There is an official path that you need to follow through the entire set. You can only touch one of the hobbit holes and take pictures from it. It's just splendid. 

Before you ask, no one can see Bilbo's actual house. Nope, no one... unless you know Sir Peter Jackson... He had the entire set broken down and shipped to his home... I wonder if he likes blondes?

As you walk through the set, you see the most adorable hobbit holes... clothes lines with tiny hobbit shirts and pants... the details are amazing. Real trees exist along side fake ones... and when I tell you, you can't discern the difference, it's unsettling..

This is a fake tree: Doh!

Peter Jackson included the smallest details. At some point, only once, is it mentioned that plum trees grew in the Shire... well, that was a bit of a problem, since apple trees grew on this farm... so before the shoot, it was someone's job to pick every single apple of every tree, and then wire on plums and plum leaves... can you imagine how long that took?

My only pic of Simon!

We end up at the Green Dragon and have a pint of ale. Because you must!

So there you have it. Yes, it's the Shire, but it's also the natural New Zealand countryside. I've never seen such lush, green, rolling hills. Just when you think you've seen the most beautiful vista, you turn a corner and your breath is taken away again..

I am so happy that I did this.

A few souvenirs later, we load back into the busses. (Incase anyone is curious, the trip was arranged by Great Sights Touring company. They were quite good.  The one thing that caught me off guard, was that you don't tip the drivers in New Zealand. Very different to my trips in the U.K. I asked a fellow traveller from Canada and she said she was surprised by that as well.)

2 hours later, we're back in Auckland, exhausted but hungry. So my new U.K. friend buys me dinner! Hey, the Brits might just be redeeming themselves in my eyes.... What a perfect day.

Monday, December 9, 2013

After yesterday's all-day adventure, I am exhausted. You must pace yourself. There isn't any way you're going to be able to see everything. There is just too many things to choose from. 

Today is about reflecting on the previous week. The sun is shining, and I catch the ferry to Devonport, just off the coast of Auckland. It takes all of 12 minutes, but it gives me the chance to take some harbor pics now that the sun is out. 

Devonport, is a tiny village. Quaint. Straight off the ferry I walk up Victoria Road to Mount Victoria. I have decided to try to walk up to the top. Step by step, taking my time, I slowly make it all the way to the top. Thank you legs for actually working for a change!! The hike is worth it. Stunning views all around:

After about an hour, I descend the mountain and walk around a bit. I've noticed that a lot of the houses look like homes in downtown Mobile... Am I wrong?

I happen upon a bench, and in the shade, I take a seat and take it all in.

I could live here. (a constant thought except for the city of Auckland....)

I stop for lunch in a cafe and finally, reluctantly, make my way back to the ferry. A few more pics from the beach...

I leave for Queenstown in the morning. It's been fun Auckland, and although I failed to hurl myself off your tallest building.... I've had a blast... but now I'm off to the South Island in the morning....The land of the mountains...