Day 8 – My second Monday in Auckland found me recovering from a very busy weekend of scuba diving, gay saunaing, churching, hiking, and generally just trying to pack my days full of adventure. My biggest priority for this day was figuring out the next stage of my journey, as I wanted to be in Mosgiel/Dunedin by September 1st. I have a couchsurf planned, and a free place to stay is hard to pass up (unless there are chickens in the bathtub!). 😉
I was excited to get into the city though, as the sweatshirt I had forgotten before I boarded my flight (my black, water-resistant American Giant sweatshirt) was waiting for me at KiwiRail downtown. My mom had graciously shipped it to me (as a birthday present), Natalie had received it on Saturday and she brought it in to work with her on Monday morning. So, by 10am on August 27th, my inventory was complete once again…
I had a moment of panic when I realized how expensive it would be to come back up to the North Island for International Hobbit Day on September 22nd. I had booked that before I even left for NZ, that’s how excited I was to attend. But, it just didn’t make much sense to break my time in Dunedin for a very expensive weekend trip. Plus, I was already planning on living in Tauranga in March 2019, and Hobbiton is only a 45 minute bus ride from the city. While they might not have any special events next March, I can still see the Hobbiton set then. And I was still able to get a full refund on my ticket, so no money lost there.
The next thing I did was plan out how I was going to get to Dunedin. It was about the same price for a flight or the scenic train/ferry/bus (although , and so I opted for the scenic route. I researched getting AA (the AAA down here, which if you have a AAA membership you get AA as well). I wanted to see if it would save me money on tickets (it didn’t), and I also searched for other deals or coupons, but didn’t find much. So, I just booked my journey from Auckland down to Christchurch. I will need a separate bus from Christchurch to Dunedin, but I will get that ticket when I get to Christchurch.
I leave Auckland on Saturday morning, arriving in Wellington at the south end of the North Island by 6pm. I’m currently looking for a couchsurf or Airbnb to stay in for the night. I ferry across to the South Island (the town of Picton) on Sunday morning, then catch a bus from Picton to Christchurch, arriving on Sunday at 1pm. There is a bus that leaves at 2pm from Christchurch to Dunedin, but I want to make sure I make that connection, so I’ll just buy the ticket when I arrive.
By this time on Monday, it was actually late afternoon, and my mind was exhausted from figuring out all my travel plans. So, I went back to Mount Eden, stopping off for dinner at Corner Burger. I got a Burger, Fries, and Milkshake it was pretty tasty. I was discovering Mount Eden had lots of good restaurants. When I got back to my Airbnb and loaded up Netflix, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that seasons 8,9, and 10 of Ru Paul’s drag race had been released, so I eagerly devoured several episodes that night.
Day 9 – I have several goals while I am here in New Zealand, but one of them is definitely this blog. I don’t want to get too far behind, where I start forgetting the things I experienced. And while it may only take you 10-15 minutes to read each blog post, it takes me much longer to craft this content. I use a hosting site called Bluehost which has a WordPress overlay that makes things easier, but there still has been a learning curve to the different settings as well as media content inserts and the comment sections of the blog (comments were originally getting rejected as bots, pictures get imported sideways and sometimes I just can’t get a picture centered correctly, and when I finally do, it’s wrong on the mobile version. So sometimes there are upside-down pictures on mobile!) But, most of that is figured out now, so please comment and enjoy the photos!
I got to ride a double decker bus this morning (I’m pretty sure this is my first time on one…or maybe I rode in one when I was a kid). Here’s my view from the top, as well as a picture with my stunningly blue eyes. 😉
I hunkered down at the Starbucks on Queen Street, having a Vanilla Latte and using their free Wi-Fi (which is incredibly hard to find here) to blog about the weekend. They also have outlets to plug in my various devices (iWatch, TaoTronics Bluetooth Headphones, Macbook Pro, iPhone, backup charger, etc.), so it’s a great place to write, while also recharge, literally and figuratively. And the people watching is really fun too. Queen Street is the main street through downtown, so you see tons of travelers as well as locals.
I wrote for about 4 hours total this day, covering days 5,6,7 and writing my post about my tatoo. I was also editing playlists and discovering new songs. I got the posts up by lunchtime and then went in search of sustenance. I found an India buffet in Skymall (the downtown mall) and for $8.90 NZD I got an all you can eat buffet with 2 kinds of veggie curries, rice, and naan. And I definitely got my fill. It was delicious and felt good to get a big helping of veggies. I took a picture of the garbage can, only because it was labeled to accept “rubbish” which struck me as different (in the US, it would be “waste” or “trash”). Rubbish sounds quite a bit more refined.
My afternoon was spent playing games. I found a Pump It Up machine in an arcade and so I played a few rounds, as it was the newest mix available (I had only played the previous version, so it was fun to experience new songs). I also walked through Aotea Square and snapped a picture of the Maori arch there
Per the Aotea Square website, the arch is called “Waharoa’ (Gateway in Maori), formed in wood and copper by Maori sculptor Selwyn Muru. This is an expressionist version of a traditional Maori entry gate. I actually made a joke post to my friends back in Portland, saying to prepare for the rainy season which should begin in about a month. Rain and clouds make up the bulk of Fall and Winter in Portland.
After passing through Aotea Square, I hit up the casino and played on the $5 blackjack table. After about an hour, I had won $105 so I called it quits.
Here is an interesting fact about New Zealand currency (which is much more colorful and interesting than American dollars) – the bills get larger as the denomination grows, so that the bills can be distinguished by the blind. I didn’t even notice this until I had posted this picture on Facebook and one of my friends (Penny Doak) pointed it out. Just another example of how we can own things and not even realize all the important details about them.
And here is an interesting fact about downtown Auckland – the crosswalks all activate at the same time. So, you walk diagonally across the intersection. You just need to weave in between the other pedestrians who are also crossing. Here’s a video of the “dance” (the link will open in the same window, click the back button to return to this post).
I spent another evening watching Ru Paul episodes from Season 9. I got up to episode 5 and this season seemed more emotional and less catty than previous seasons, although I still have lots of episodes where drama and back-stabbing could develop.
Day 10 – I took a bus into downtown again and took refuge in the Auckland University of Technology for an hour while a heavy rainy storm happened. They had a few exhibits from the different departments and one particularly caught my eye due to the name – Gömböc. It was interesting to learn about, especially when it was originally thought to never occur in nature, only to later find out it had connections to non-living things in nature.
After the rain stopped, I started my trek into the Domain. My goal – the War Museum at the top. But, I discovered several interesting sculptures along the way, which I found out belonged a sculpture walk.
https://www.heartofthecity.co.nz/activities/walks/auckland-domain-sculpture-walk
The first picture is the start of the path into the domain while the second is a sculpture entitled, “Promise Boat” done by sculptor Louise Purvis.
According to the website above, the ‘wrapping’ hides its details but also offers the promise of discovery. Museums wrap objects for storage and transit. The sculpture’s location at the entrance to Centennial Walk marks a well-used path for visitors to the museum
The next sculpture is entitled, “Numbers are the Language of Nature”. It is a tessellation, the name given to a pattern created by repeating a shape over a surface, into a three dimensional form made up of twenty identical bronze modules. Chiara Corbelletto, the sculptor, describes her module as a windswept triangle in a six-fold symmetry.
I was particularly struck by this concept, especially since I believe in a Creator God who made the entire world. It makes sense that numbers would be the language of nature, as they symbolize order and creation to me.
The third sculpture was simply entitled, “Arc”, done by sculptor Charlotte Fisher.
Fisher describes her work as a metaphor for the experience of migration. The imagery for the top element was derived from an ancient European petroglyph. Its exact meaning is not known but it may depict figures in a boat. It has intrigued her for many years and inspired the arcs and boat forms in her work.
For me, I was drawn to it since there are 7 “figures” in the boat, 7 being a holy number in Christianity.
The next sculpture wasn’t part of the walk, and I’m not sure exactly what it represents, but it shows two young, strong men, one of whom has fallen while the other is protecting him and shielding his face from whatever is coming towards him. It spoke to my homosexual side.
And then I finally arrived at the War Museum.
You weren’t allowed to take very many pictures in the museum, except in a few select areas. One of those was the children’s area, and while I didn’t take any pictures there, I had an enjoyable time seeing all the classrooms of kids (ages 6-10) coming through the museum. I learned a lot about New Zealand and the intersection of Maori and British cultures. The history of the Islands really only begins about 800 years ago, as the first polynesian settlers discovered New Zealand. Over the ensuing centuries, while the Maori changed the land they had settled on, the land changed them as well, soon making them distinct from other Pacific Islander groups.
I did get a couple of pictures in a special exhibit about butterflies.
After a few hours, I finished the museum. It was lunchtime, and I jumped on Grinder to try to find someone to have lunch with (since I had spent the morning by myself in the museum). I met a university student named Calum, and so we met for Pizza Hut and he showed me his apartment, which had a great view of downtown. No pictures once again, but Cal and I talked for over 3 hours, sharing our stories about our pasts and hoped for futures. He had gone through several difficult times in recent years, and yet had a very positive outlook on life, which I appreciated. He is also involved in the politics of New Zealand and I appreciated learning more about it.
At 4pm, I got a text from Ian (the obstetrics physician). I had planned to work out with him at a Les Mills gym, as he was teaching the class that was happening that night. I ran across downtown, as he had said he needed to leave downtown by 4:30 to get to his class on time. While it originally looked like I wouldn’t make it, he did wait a few extra minutes and I was able to meet up with him. We went back to his house, got changed, and then headed to the gym for an awesome workout – BodyJam!
BODYJAM® is the cardio workout where you are free to enjoy the sensation of dance. An addictive fusion of the latest dance styles and hottest new sounds puts as much emphasis on having fun as on breaking a sweat. Funky instructors teach you to move with attitude through this 55-minute class. So grab a friend, get front and centre, and get high on the feeling of dance! https://www.lesmills.co.nz/exercise-options/group-fitness/BODYJAM/
Ian, along with two other instructors, led us through an intense workout, jamming out to excellent dance music (several songs which I’ve included on my playlists). According to my Apple Watch, I burned about 450 calories in the 45 minute class. Ian then took me back to Mount Eden, buying me some takeaway food (the New Zealand word for carryout or takeout). I got some delicious Mac and Cheese from a restaurant called Circus Circus, which is only a few blocks from my Airbnb.
I crashed that night. Thanks to my walk through the domain, it was one highest exercise days. I actually earned a new Exercise Record AND a new Move Record! Here’s my Apple Watch data to prove it!
1,086 Calories – 144 minutes of Exercise – 15 Hours with a stand – 22,579 totals steps =
11.51 miles (18.5 kilometers)
And that brings us to the completion of day 10. I was so excited about day 11 though, because it would be my 38th Birthday, and I was planning on Bungy Jumping the Auckland Harbour Bridge!
Here is the song for August 29th, 2018 from the Apperception III playlist. Very fitting, considering I was going to Bungy Jump the next day, which a lot of people told me would be too scary for them to do…
Nothing Scares Me Anymore – Steve Angello, Sam Martin