Auckland and Family

I have been in New Zealand a week now, and spending the majority of my time in the Auckland area. I have family that lives in Auckland, so I've been very lucky that they graciously let me stay at their house and have shown me the cool local areas along with some of the touristy places. The first few days in Auckland were not the best weather, with rain and wind, and low clouds so visibility was low. However, even when there was bad weather there was plenty of things that you can still do. We drove around Auckland, saw downtown the CBD (Central Business District) and continued on to have brunch in a cafe that overlooked the city. When it rains it's also a perfect excuse to spend the afternoon/evening in a bar.

So far I've learned that New Zealand is a bit smaller than California, but has a population of only 4.5 million people, with about 1.5 million of them living in Auckland. The Auckland area is built upon several inactive volcanoes. However I still feel like I'm in a small city, and the suburbs around the city center centre feel very quaint and quiet. It's been great to catch up with my cousin and get to know him better, since it's been 10 years if not longer since I saw him last. I love how vibrant and vivid the landscape is, it's nothing I've seen before.

Friday the weather was beautiful, so we drove down to Piha, the west coast are known for their black sand beaches. The sand is black due to high iron in the sand from volcanic rocks. Piha is also known for really good surf, but really bad rips and currents. After Piha we went to Karekare, which has the widest beach that I've ever seen. Right off of the beach was a beautiful secluded waterfall. It was so pretty and hard to believe that only a half hour away from the big city are these beautiful areas.

Saturday the rain returned, but we took a ferry ride over to Waiheke Island, which is known for it's vineyards and beautiful landscape. We went on a wine tour and I was able to taste all the different wines of the region. It was a great day, with lots of laughs and drinks.

Sunday was my day to regroup and get ready for my tour. I spent the morning wandering the city centre on foot and seeing the tourist sights. Tomorrow morning I leave bright and early for my Kiwi Experience tour, which is a hop on/hop off bus tour that will take me all over both the north and south island. From what I have seen so far, I am very excited to see more of the country.

Bye for now <3