Kia Ora to New Zealand!

This post should have been uploaded December 29, 2012, but I couldn't get the photos to work, so I'm uploading it today instead.

Thirty-six hours after landing in Auckland, New Zealand is everything I expected it to be. Friendly, green, beautiful and clean, it's proven to be a wonderful place to start my 2013 adventure. Tomorrow I board the Flying Kiwi bus for the Coromandel Peninsula, but yesterday and today I explored the City of Sails.
After arriving at Jucy Hotel and storing my bag for the day, I decided to walk around the CBD (Central Business District). I found myself at Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 328 metres. I took the 40 second elevator ride to the first and second observation towers.  It was neat because you could see the CBD get smaller as you went up (the elevator had glass doors). The views were magnificent at the top! You could see 360 degrees around Auckland. You could also see those that were brave enough for the Sky Jump, where you can jump from the top of the tower in an 11 second, 85km/hr base wire jump, and the Sky Walk, where you can circle the tower on a 1.2m platform with no railing or balcony (you're hooked up to a safety harness). Too expensive (and too scary) for me!

The Sky Walkers leaning away from the Tower:

Today I boarded the Hop On Hop Off Explorer Bus, which visits 14 major sites around Auckland. I stopped at Mission Bay, a great beach right outside of the CBD, the Auckland Museum and Mount Eden. The Auckland Museum was amazing. Their displays on Maori and Pacific Islander culture are informative and interesting, and the Maori cultural performance was spectacular. There was even a short haka at the end, just what I had been waiting for.

Mount Eden is one of 50 volcanic peaks around Auckland. However, nothing has erupted for 600 years and most of the cones are dormant. Mount Eden is the highest and offers the best views. Here is the view of Auckland from Mount Eden:

On the left you can see the Auckland Harbour Bridge (you can bridge climb just like I did in Sydney) and on the right is the Sky Tower.

Tomorrow I board the Flying Kiwi bus to travel all around New Zealand. I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and exploring the north and south islands. It should be an adventure!