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| You can charter an hour on an America's Cup boat, for the real competitive experience! |
| Erin's Journal 01-03-03 New Zealand Today we woke up late, as we'd only gotten to bed around 3am! The room was so small and airless, we hadn't needed covers, and the fan was only effective for those on the 2 bottom bunks I guess. But due to the late hour, we had no trouble getting into the shower and were soon ready to head out the door. We wandered up the street (past the now silent brothel), and looked for a phone card to use for booking a rental car and hostels where we planned to stay. This was the first location where we felt like we might need to book ahead! We got a phone card just a few doors down, then stopped again for breakfast. It was intended to be a quick one, but we ended up staying longer than we thought, as we recognized some folks from the hostel and talked with them for almost 2 hours. By the time we were done there, it was after 2pm! We wandered down the main street, and were only stopped once to gawk at a gorgeous aquamarine necklace that would be the perfect complement to my wedding ensemble - if it wasn't as costly as 3 months in Italy!!! (I'm still considering it though - extravagant or not, it was a FANTASTIC piece of jewelry!!!). We dragged ourselves away and distracted ourselves with a Starbucks (also rare out here). Then we made some phone calls to price rental cars. One new thing was that all the companies in our Auckland guide, picked up at the airport, had toll free numbers to call for quotes! So unusual to find something free! So we called about 10 different companies, grilling them on the various prices for per diem, insurance, km limits, etc. We finally decided on one, and agreed to meet the representative outside our hostel the following morning. This chore done, we went in a mall and found a good road map for New Zealand. Other chore accomplished, we headed out to wander the town. We ended up at the American Express America's Cup waterfront. This was built for the 2000 America's Cup, but they are clearly gearing up for the upcoming 2003 World Cup. We were able to send our parents an email picture from the Telecom Shed, which houses exhibits on the NZ team and some of the efforts they go through. We even stood on a display deck and tried out the ropes and rigging pulleys! I was exhausted after just 20 seconds! It's hard work. After that we hung out in the sunshine on the docks, checking out the ritzy yachts and sleek sailboats, then decided to check out the local IMAX cinema for some evening entertainment. On the way there, we stumbled across an Asian fast food restaurant in the middle of a metropolitan block. It was great food! We wondered how anyone would find them though, with no advertising or good signage outside! Word of mouth I guess, as there were plenty of people in there when we left! We went on to the Force Entertainment complex up near the old town theater, and finally found out the IMAX was closed down. Right outside the regular cinemas there though, we were treated to a demonstration of how to bet on roulette, sponsored by a local casino of course! We bet 10 chips for free, and I lost them all within 3 spins of the wheel. Just confirmation of why I don't gamble. Glenn did slightly better, but soon we were back on our way. We walked a little further up the street, and got tickets for the first comedy show of the season in Auckland. The comedy was a showcase of comedy for 2003, and several of the acts were pretty funny. We sat up front with a Kiwi lady from Christchurch (south island), and the comics picked on us all with regularity. We had a good time, and exchanged information with Katherine. We took a few night photos on the way back to the hostel, then headed in for the night. But we ended up staying up later than planned, as several other travellers were sitting in the common area outside our bedroom, and we joined in their conversation till about 1:30am! Another late night. |