Culture shock in Auckland

After a very enjoyable flight on LAN Chile airways we touched down in Auckland at 4:30 am on Wednesday 7th December.  We were a bit confused as we left Santiago at 23:20 on Monday the 5th and the flight was 12 hours.  Somehow were managed to miss the 6th of December !!!!!!.  Gillian's cousin Graham picked us up at the airport and took us back to his house in Howick which is an eastern suburb of Auckland.  We got some breakfast, had a chat and enjoyed a relaxing spa and had a beer to help relax from the flight.

The next day we got a ferry into Auckland city.

Approaching Auckland

We found it very strange walking around Auckland.  Everything seems so tidy and quiet compared to South American cities.  We also found it weird not have to talk in Spanish and we were still giving it 'Hola' and 'Gracias' and getting some strangle looks from the Kiwi's.  After a coffee with an old friend Nicko (from my prior Snowboard trip to NZ 6 years ago) we went for a trip up the Sky Tower, the tallest free standing building in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sky Tower and person who had just jumped off !!!!

View from Sky tower looking over the Harbour.

Looking toward Harbour Bridge and the North Shore.

Gillian's meets Gollum !!

Downtown Auckland.

Sky Tower from Victoria Park.

After lunch we jumped on a ferry to the Island of Rangitoto Island.  Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island with a small volcano on it.  Its a very new volcano only 600 years old.  The is lots of interesting Flora on it which doesn't exist anywhere else on the North Island.  We had an interesting talk up to the mountain crater, and through some Lava caves.

Walking over the lava field to the volcano.

Kidney Ferns

New Zealand christmas tree.

Volcano crater.

Looking from Rangitoto toward the city.

In the Lava caves.

Volcanic beach.

Enjoying a BBQ at Gillian's cousin : Graham and wife Jackie.

Enjoying a nice Hot Tub !!!!

We would now be heading down to the south island, and a hiring a car for a wee road trip.