Auckland

Auckland Pre-cruise

Whew!  I finally made it to Auckland. My flights from Phnom Penh went smoothly. I managed to get a paid upgrade to lie flat seats in business class, and even though it was moderately pricey, it was worth every penny. The 12 hour flight from Bangkok was comfortable and I was able to sleep for over 7 hours. That's a first for me. And bonus - NO FOOD POISONING! Hahahahahaha. But seriously, I felt great. In fact, since I left Myanmar I've had no more stuffy/runny nose, and no more coughing either. I am, as they say, fit as a fiddle!

My B&B host Bart picked me up at the airport and it was nice to get acquainted on the drive into Auckland. Their B&B is called the Ascot Parnell which is in the Parnell neighborhood. It's very close, walkable even, to the Domain, which is a huge park, the Rose Garden, National War Memorial Museum, Holy Trinity Anglican Church and the Newmarket area. Lots of shops and cafes line Parnell Street and Broadway. 

Bart and Therese, along with their lovely Saluki dog own the lovely B&B that has three rooms/suites. I had the middle room, or the junior suite. Lovely garden views. The common living room area boasts fantastic views of the city skyline and harbor. I will be able to watch the Amsterdam sail in Friday morning, assuming I wake up in time. 

I settled in and then later in the afternoon I went out for a walk and an early dinner at an Italian bistro. I had a nice glass of rose, along with an order of verdure (roasted broccoli and asparagus) and a margarita pizza. It was all delicious and also expensive. Gone were the days of $4-$6 meals in Myanmar and Cambodia. Cha ching! Dinner set me back $37 USD. 

Still adjusting to the time change of 6 hours forward, I went to bed at 8:00 PM and slept well until about 5:00 AM. I had a 6:15 pickup time for my tour for the day, and Bart was up and had fruit, toast, eggs, yogurt, crepes and coffee ready for me at 5:45. OMG. It was wonderful but so much food!  I ate what I could and then Bart walked me out to the front gate where the tour van was waiting. I was going on a day tour to Hobbiton, the outdoor movie set of "the Shire", the village and home of Bilbo Baggins and Frodo, among others, from the movies Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It was a long but fun day. A two hour ride to get there, about 2 1/2 hours there, and then a two hour ride back. You need to be a fan of the stories to appreciate it and make the drive worthwhile. Good thing I am. 

After I got back, I showered and then walked up to Parnell Road and decided to have dinner at a Malaysian place called Kopio. I had Bakmi Goreng, which is a nice and spicy noodle dish. Mine had chicken. It was really good. And cheaper than last night's dinner, coming in at under $20 including a Coca Cola. 

Another good night of sleep awaited me, although I stayed up late to watch the super moon rise. I also set my alarm for 2:00 AM in hopes of being able to see the lunar eclipse. It was an iffy proposition because clouds were rolling in with rain expected. Although I saw the moon rise, there were way too many clouds in the sky at eclipse time and I missed seeing that part. Sigh. Well, there's lots of footage of it online from other parts of the world. 

Today, I slept in a little and then after breakfast I headed out. There was just a tiny smattering of sprinkles nut it was overcast and quite windy. But warm. It's summer here. My first stop was at a nail salon where I enjoyed a pedicure. It's been a month since I had one and my toes needed a polish change. 

After the pedicure I walked about a mile to the National War Memorial Museum. I think it's a bit of a misnomer because the first floor is all about Maori history (the native New Zealanders, originally from the Polynesian Islands) and the second floor is natural history - how New Zealand was formed (from volcanoes).  Only the top floor had War history. I enjoyed all 3 floors. 

When I came out of the museum it had started to rain. I had wanted to go do a little shopping and have lunch in Newmarket, so I ventured on. The misty sprinkles continued but it wasn't too bad. I shopped a little and then stopped for a quick burger lunch. When I came out of the restaurant it was pouring rain! Ack!  On went my poncho and I walked the last mile back to the B&B in a downpour. I was wearing my Croc sandals from having had the pedicure so I didn't have a problem with wet shoes and my poncho kept me nice and dry except for the bottom part of my capris, below the poncho. It wasn't cold but it was quite windy so the rain blew onto me at a sideways slant. As much as I love the rain, it was nice to finally arrive back and get dried off. 

Tonight I'm the only guest at the B&B. Bart and Therese have invited me to go out to dinner with the.  We're going to a Persian place nearby. And they're springing for the wine! Yay!  Anyway, they're nice and interesting people and I'm looking forward to it. 

When I get back, I shall pack, for tomorrow morning I shall watch the Amsterdam sail in and the tour company is picking me up at 9:00 AM where we will drive down to the ship and pick up 14 other passengers that have already been on the ship, for a 3 hour Auckland city tour that I put together. I'm SUPER excited to get on the ship and see my friends, most especially Jack, the man I met on last year's World cruise. 

I finally got my cabin number today, too. I had booked an outside view guarantee and I guess they were all full so the free upgrade fairy visited me and I'm now in a balcony cabin. Go me!! No complaints from here. 

I've just returned from having dinner with my B&B hosts, Bart and Therese. We ate a a fantastic little place called Parnell 149. We had glasses of champagne to celebrate Therese's birthday this next week and also shared a bottle of delicious red wine. Conversation was amazing and we shared many personal stories of our lives. Shortly after we arrived and we're sipping our champagne, an elderly woman accompanied by two guests, entered the restaurant and sat at a table near us. I remember being struck by the elderly woman's grace and beauty, as well as her shiny silky gray hair, woven neatly into a wide bun at the back of her head. Come to find out, this woman is the widow of New Zealand's own Sir Edmond Hillary. She, too, has been knighted by the Queen and is, Lady June (Mulgrew) Hillary. 

What a wonderful day I've had. 

Tomorrow a new adventure begins.