I have decided to change Auckland’s nickname from “City of Sails†to “City of Rainbows.†The reason is quite simple: they have lots of rainbows! Yesterday I saw three, and the day before Dale saw one. They are so frequent that nobody living in Auckland stops to look at one. Not only do they appear often, but they are well-formed rainbows. Almost every one is very defined, with many crisp lines of color. At home, our rainbows are blurry, and usually don’t have more than four colors. It’s not very often you see such lovely rainbows as the ones in Auckland.
As a city, Auckland is beautiful. The suburbs are similar to the ones at home, but the landscaping is better. The houses are very English in design, but without the matching perfectly trimmed lawns that are a staple 
in American suburbs. Downtown Auckland is busy hubbub of…Asians. Yes, Auckland has Asians the way all of Southern California has Mexicans. The architecture is wonderful; clearly Aucklanders love their history. Downtown is full of lovely old buildings that have been well preserved. Some are empty or beginning to look rundown, but they all add to the charm of the city. The churches are especially nice. Towering buildings of brick, some whitewashed, others in natural brick color.
The last several days have been quite busy. We had a little mix up with our arrival dates because we crossed the date line coming over from the Cook Islands (that’s mostly my fault, oops). We left on Thursday and arrived on Friday. So, our Thursday night hotel room had been reassigned, and Uncle Jamie and Philip spent a long time waiting at the airport for a plane that wouldn’t arrive until the next day. Sorry! It all worked out in the end. The night we arrived Dale wasn’t feeling too well, so dad went to see the family while I hung out with Dale in the hotel.
Saturday we drove around to see the sights of the city, places that dad knew or went to when he was a kid. Then we met cousin Bruce at the flea market in Otara. The rest of the day was spent visiting with Uncle Philip and Aunt Nora’s family, and watching the rugby Super 14 final for all the men folk. Dad a
lso surprised his cousin Honi by showing up at his house completely unannounced. I missed the happy reunion, but I understand both were delighted to see each other again.
Sunday was Dale’s favorite day. While dad went out hunting for friends, Uncle Jamie and Uncle Philip took Dale to touch practice. I went shopping with Aunt Nora, so I didn’t get to see Dale get bumped around by a bunch of guys much older than him. 😉 Dale made quite an impression with his speed and fitness level, and his willingness to eat Paua (a type of shell fish) at the after training barbeque. At the end of the day we had a lovely feed at Joyce’s house, with her kids and Jamie. I should mention here that in NZ and the islands, you don’t eat “lunch†or “dinner,†you just have a feed. Also, the letter Z is pronounced “zed.†While we’re on the subject, “pakeha†is maori for “white man.†The slang for “Englishman†is “pom,†and your “boot†is actually the trunk of your car.
Yesterday we spent three hours in the Auckland museum with Jamie and Junior. Dale has been to the Smithsonian, and said it was comparable. Personally, it was the nicest museum I’ve ever visited. The
exterior is very old, with large roman columns around the entrance. At three stories, the building can put on an impressive display of all things Kiwi. There were plenty of Maori, and pacific island artifacts from the various cultures, including a giant 100-man canoe. Then there was a neat exhibit detailing the history of NZ’s volcanoes, and what would happen if the Auckland one erupted again. The uppermost floor had several beautiful marble war memorials for Kiwis that have died in various wars. There were also two nicely designed exhibits detailing the life of a Kiwi soldier, and the lives of the folks at home during the NZ wars. My favorite part was a little section in the “modern wars†section, where former POW’s that have visited the museum signed a wall.
We also went to Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium to see penguins, sharks, and stingrays!
We saw a lot of cool fish, including a cute little tank set up like the aquarium in Finding Nemo, complete with two clown fish and one of whatever kind of fish Dory was. The coolest creature was a giant stingray that had to have been nearly 6 feet across. She was so big, we couldn’t get a proper picture of her! The trainer said she weighed in at about 250 kilos.
We are about to hit the road, bound for Rotorua and the farm. We’ll be making stops along the way, but I’m not sure how often we’ll be online. I kind of doubt there will be three internet café’s on every street block, as there are in Auckland. Until next time!