Auckland!

Okay I have only a brief idea of where I want to start with our tour through Auckland!

And what’s up with all these invisible comments? I don’t bite, I promise =D

Anyway I had to get up at like six for this tour and breakfast warned of a terrible beginning to what I thought was going to turn out to be just as disappointing as some of the other ports… Well that was all thrown out the window the few minutes after I got seated on the bus. Auckland is beautiful, lit up beautifully and as sprawling as any big city.

Our tour guide and driver were very kind and explained everything –the bus driver had his right and left mixed up for the first half of the tour though x3- and did their best to keep us interested. Our First stop was actually an out of the way place with souvenirs. I nagged my mother into getting me ice cream called Hokey Pokey which was vanilla with honey comb [or as I later found out it was butterscotch] that was really REALLY good! –Despite the ingredients- and really creamy and melt-in-your mouth-ish 8D. –Like my hubby on a good day *insane giggle*-

Anyway after that break we went to The Kiwi Culture Show. It had a few people helping out backstage, but really it was a one man crew aided by his animals. We were shown how things were done when people first started settling on New Zeland including sheep herding and shearing demonstrations, the talents of a local pig, the appearance of a donkey and a few problematic chickens and at the very end there was a HUGE  steer/cow/whatever that I guess was being kept as a pet. Also on this guy’s farm land were four hotels, one was made out of a WWII bomber, one was made from a couple of old train cars, another from a 5-6 deck remodeled boat/ship of some kind and the last was made to look like a couple of Hobbit Holes, doors, grassy roofs and all!

After that was a drive to lunch at some small little place… Umm, I hated lunch, sixteen dollars for a tiny little piece of chicken and lots of pretty plates and odd tasting embellishments and such… Which I loved the chicken… but it made me think that even what little I did eat made me look like a glutton in comparison to this tiny portion of food. Anyway after that crappy deal we made our way over to the Waitomo[?] Glow Worm Caves where we were taken down and into the Caves and shown around and then there was an awfully short boat ride through the river parts that we could get to since the water was high from all the melting snow and stuff. Anyway the worms glowed in what seemed to be millions, and made for alike a sort of… strip of glowiness that kinda resembled the milky way… and kinda not… *shrug*  One of those things you’ll have to visit yourself to get a good idea of it. [Rant included later]

After that our tour guide admitted to forgetting the water he was supposed to bring so he decided to buy us all ice cream back at the same place we’d gone to before. My mum got Apricot and I got more Hokey Pokey *cuddles my new favorite ice cream* and that was that. I showed mom the poncho I really wanted. It was sheep wool and Opossum fur made into yarn and then made into the poncho and sweaters and shirts and stuff. Anyway it had Opossum fur lining the collar and down the front and it was really soft… and costs over 790$ NZ dollars. Now, for those of you who are Anti-Animal fur wearers and animal-rights activists Please be advised of the Opossum population issue on New Zeland. Opossum’s were introduced on the island by the Australians, since the natural predators Opossums have are lacking on New Zeland so their population spiraled out of control. Ironically the EXACT SAME Opossum is on the endangered list in Australia –which puts up the wonder why they just don’t capture wild opossum’s in NZ and move them to Australia O.o- At any rate it is expected of New Zelander’s to kill any Opossum they get their hands on in an effort to keep the population down. Now as I found out at the Kiwi Culture Show the Opossum’s here in NZ are REALLY different from those you find in America. They are either reddish brown or a lovely ash grey and they have really fuzzy tails, far from the black and gray/white, rat tailed things you find squished on the side of the highway or nosing through your trash back in America.

At any rate… After that we picked up a Chief of one of the many Maori[?] Tribes on the island. In turn we were taken to another Tribe and once there the entire group we were with went through the protocols of the tribe, being greeted, then we were judged for if we had come as friend or foe and once that was over we were treated to entertainment and people were brought up to participate in the dancing. After that we were treated to a really big dinner full of food cooked in an underground oven and it was delicious if a bit much. After that we were treated to a little information about Maori Culture and given a few stories before we were sent off with a few songs.

We got back to the boat about 9:00 and were finally on about fifteen minutes later. I pretty much fell asleep soon thereafter…

Now… When you see signs that say NO PHOTOGRAPHY, NO TOUCHING, NO SMOKING and your guide asks you to be quite you do what?

Umm… was that a flash from a camera? What in the world are you leaning on? And um… why can I hear you all the way at the front of the group? Yes, I caught all three of those, we –as a group- were politely asked not to take pictures, not to touch the rock and to keep ourselves quiet and guess what? A few couples didn’t follow those rules and even one couple was warned that if they continued their camera would be confiscated. -.-‘ Please, for the love of all you consider holy or right, if someone posts a rule it’s generally for a good reason and ought to be followed!

Any way I got a few choppy un-connected Ideas for really short stories so if anyone wants to know what they are I demand tribute! [lol not really, just comment!]

~ A Tired Missy

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