Auckland..the City of Sails

I met up with a few people from the tour. I think I was the only person who was not an avid Lord of the Rings fan; I should have watched the movies beforehand! A majority of my traveling companions were from Australia. Kasia was from Canada and had spent the last 2 months backpacking alone throughout Asia...I was quite inspired...
We spent all day walking throughout the city. The air was crisp and the sky was a delicious shade of blue. Although there are many shops and restaurants (I had Starbucks and Gloria Jeans) we have in the U.S., some buildings are influenced with Maori (native New Zealanders) art. I spent some time at Albert Park admiring the clean and beautiful environment. We ended our day with dinner and spent a long time chatting and laughing away. I spent the first night in New Zealand at the Auckland Central Backpackers. I was extremely anxious to begin the journey.

Monday April 5, 2004
Auckland to Bay of Islands
All Contiki travelers met up at the Airedale Hotel at noon. Although the room was full of unfamiliar faces, everyone was very friendly and quick to introduce themselves. After some preliminary logistical matters, we boarded the bus and headed towards the subtropical region of the Bay of Islands. Prior to our arrival, we stopped off at Parry Kauri Park.
After many hours of driving, we finally arrived at the Bay of Islands.The Bay of Islands has an irregular 500 mile coastline and contains 150 islands. The Polyneisan explorer Kupe us said to have visited the Bay of Islands in the 10th century. Captain Cook is said to have “discovered” the harbor for Europeans in 1769. I signed up for the Excitor which is described as an “accelerated adventure to the famous Hole in the Rock”. Even though the Hole in the Rock was impressive, there wasn’t much more excitement from the Excitor The last half hour back to shore was biting cold. I couldn’t wait to get back on land! Later in the evening, we had dinner at the hotel and I fell asleep right away…zzzz…