Back to Civilization.....Brrrrr!
Hey all,
I AMMMMMMM ONNNNNNNN VACATIONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!! (Does 'I am on Vacation' Dance). After being in Samoa for six months, I am now on vacation to New Zealand and Australia. I'm currently in Auckland, having a great time. The flight from Apia to Auckland was very late at night and as usual I got no sleep. When I got off the plane, I was shocked to find that it was cold. I could actually see my breath, it was that cold. Considering this is the height of their summer, I didn't expect it to be this cold. (Apparently it's a 'cold snap', also New Zealand is really far South and in the Southern Hemisphere, the further south you go, the colder it gets). I got off the plane in my tank top, shorts, and flip-flops and was freezing. I had actually forgotten what cold felt like. Though I love the lack of humidity, I only packed one pair of pants and no shirts with sleeves, so I'll be wearing the same pants and jacket everyday here. Oh well, it's supposed to be much warmer in Sydney.
When I first arrived, I unsurprisingly did a good deal of white-person-staring. There are so few white people in Samoa, I've gotten in the habit of being surprised when I see one, but here there are white people everywhere. As I was driving into the city, I stared at the huge highway, the neat suburban lawns, the perfectly spaced houses. I keep thinking somehow they looked empty. I guess after six months in Samoa, everything looks different.
Luckily, it didn't take me long to remember how much I love city life. The first day I was there, I checked into my hostel, slept, and walked around the city. Auckland is a very beautiful city. It reminds me of San Francisco in some ways. (A comparsion to SF is my highest possible praise). It's got hills and bays and sort of an indy-feel to it like SF. I walked all around the beautiful harbours, which are plentiful here, since Auckland is the harbour for not one, but two oceans. I love the architecture here, very modern with glass and shiny steel. I saw a bunch of apts by the harbour that are my dream apts. They had all glass window-walls, very modern silvery furniture. So pretty. I'll add it to the list of 101 things to buy when I have more money than I know what to do with. I really do love life in the city: the atmosphere, the shops, the cafes, the diversity, the parks, the activities. I really miss it in Samoa. I think I've learned this year, that while I enjoy visiting the country, deep-down I'm a city person at heart.
On my second day in Auckland, I went to the Auckland Museum, a very fun, natural history musuem. I saw a performance by Maori dancers and many Maori and Pacific objects and exhibits. There was a really fascinating exhibit of the Colonization of the Pacific, the original colonization, that is, the one by Pacific Islanders. Dad, you would have loved it, it presented a lot of the things discussed in Guns, Germs, and Steel. It talked about the navigational techniques used by the world's first ocean explorers, the Southeast Asians. They were able to use signs like birds, clouds, and wave patterns to detect land up to 100 miles away! There were lots of other cool sites as well, including an exhibit on Auckland's volcanoes,(Auckland is built on 48 active volcanoes!), and a life size replica of a moa, the world's largest bird (10ft!) that was killed off by the Maori. I guess I'm a major science dork, cause I loved the museum. Also I got to go to the top of the museum a see a beautiful 360 degree all glass view of the city. It was so beautiful!
After the museum, I walked through Auckland Domain, the city's major park and went to the SkyDome, the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere. The SkyDome's size attested to the lack of tall structures in the Southern Hemisphere. I mean, it was big, but it wasn't THAT big. It was about half the size of the Empire State Building. Maybe it's cause I'm used to NY buildings, but I wasn't impressed by the SkyDome's tallness. I still took a ride up to the top and took pics of the lovely view of Auckland. It's such a beautiful city.
Now today I'm waiting to meet Linda!! I'm so excited to see her after 4 months! Gotta go! Having a great time her in the city!
Love,
Meg
I AMMMMMMM ONNNNNNNN VACATIONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!! (Does 'I am on Vacation' Dance). After being in Samoa for six months, I am now on vacation to New Zealand and Australia. I'm currently in Auckland, having a great time. The flight from Apia to Auckland was very late at night and as usual I got no sleep. When I got off the plane, I was shocked to find that it was cold. I could actually see my breath, it was that cold. Considering this is the height of their summer, I didn't expect it to be this cold. (Apparently it's a 'cold snap', also New Zealand is really far South and in the Southern Hemisphere, the further south you go, the colder it gets). I got off the plane in my tank top, shorts, and flip-flops and was freezing. I had actually forgotten what cold felt like. Though I love the lack of humidity, I only packed one pair of pants and no shirts with sleeves, so I'll be wearing the same pants and jacket everyday here. Oh well, it's supposed to be much warmer in Sydney.
When I first arrived, I unsurprisingly did a good deal of white-person-staring. There are so few white people in Samoa, I've gotten in the habit of being surprised when I see one, but here there are white people everywhere. As I was driving into the city, I stared at the huge highway, the neat suburban lawns, the perfectly spaced houses. I keep thinking somehow they looked empty. I guess after six months in Samoa, everything looks different.
Luckily, it didn't take me long to remember how much I love city life. The first day I was there, I checked into my hostel, slept, and walked around the city. Auckland is a very beautiful city. It reminds me of San Francisco in some ways. (A comparsion to SF is my highest possible praise). It's got hills and bays and sort of an indy-feel to it like SF. I walked all around the beautiful harbours, which are plentiful here, since Auckland is the harbour for not one, but two oceans. I love the architecture here, very modern with glass and shiny steel. I saw a bunch of apts by the harbour that are my dream apts. They had all glass window-walls, very modern silvery furniture. So pretty. I'll add it to the list of 101 things to buy when I have more money than I know what to do with. I really do love life in the city: the atmosphere, the shops, the cafes, the diversity, the parks, the activities. I really miss it in Samoa. I think I've learned this year, that while I enjoy visiting the country, deep-down I'm a city person at heart.
On my second day in Auckland, I went to the Auckland Museum, a very fun, natural history musuem. I saw a performance by Maori dancers and many Maori and Pacific objects and exhibits. There was a really fascinating exhibit of the Colonization of the Pacific, the original colonization, that is, the one by Pacific Islanders. Dad, you would have loved it, it presented a lot of the things discussed in Guns, Germs, and Steel. It talked about the navigational techniques used by the world's first ocean explorers, the Southeast Asians. They were able to use signs like birds, clouds, and wave patterns to detect land up to 100 miles away! There were lots of other cool sites as well, including an exhibit on Auckland's volcanoes,(Auckland is built on 48 active volcanoes!), and a life size replica of a moa, the world's largest bird (10ft!) that was killed off by the Maori. I guess I'm a major science dork, cause I loved the museum. Also I got to go to the top of the museum a see a beautiful 360 degree all glass view of the city. It was so beautiful!
After the museum, I walked through Auckland Domain, the city's major park and went to the SkyDome, the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere. The SkyDome's size attested to the lack of tall structures in the Southern Hemisphere. I mean, it was big, but it wasn't THAT big. It was about half the size of the Empire State Building. Maybe it's cause I'm used to NY buildings, but I wasn't impressed by the SkyDome's tallness. I still took a ride up to the top and took pics of the lovely view of Auckland. It's such a beautiful city.
Now today I'm waiting to meet Linda!! I'm so excited to see her after 4 months! Gotta go! Having a great time her in the city!
Love,
Meg