Today I found a little bit of paradise!
I went on a little boat trip to Waiheke island. It's one of the larger islands just outside Auckland Harbor. It's a bit like going to Napa combined with Bainbridge Island. Really beautiful boat ride! Here are a few pictures!
A friendly island welcome:
Some of the wildlife just roaming around...
A view from the Harbor of Mataitai
Some views of the seas - I took a lot of the trails that went up and down the hills.
Finally a few more pictures of Auckland as we came back to the city.
Here are a few more thoughts:
- I'm reading a really interesting book called "Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran". It's by Jason Elliot. It's making me want to go to Iran (I mean, I've wanted to go for a long time, but it's making me think about actually figuring out how to go to Iran!) And did you know that the word "paradise" is originally from Iran, meaning a garden? So it was very appropriate to reading about Iran in a paradise of sorts don't you think?
- I went to a great restaurant last night in Auckland. It's called Mezze Bar. It had the most amazing lamb tagine! I definitely recommend lamb tagine if you get the chance. Especially when you're in New Zealand where there are many more sheep (and lambs) that people. Of course, it does seem sort of mean to eat lamb - I mean, they're so small and cute! Let's assume I was eating an old mean sheep that had just died of old age. Or something like that.
- I was thinking that it's strange to go in just one day of flying from a place where it gets light at about 4:30 and stays light until about 9:30 p.m. these days (England) to a place where it's dark at about 5:30 p.m. It's a little disorienting! I mean usually you work up to that day by day, but this time it just happened. So I always feel like it must be about 11:00 p.m. when it's just 7:00 or so! That's very weird.
Well, that's it. Tomorrow I'm meeting an old work colleague from First Data. I figured since I'd come all this way I should spend a little time socializing with the one person I know here.
Ciao for now!
4 comments:
Wow. It's BEAUTIFUL there. That's my kind of place!
Gorgeous pictures - I didn't realize that Auckland was so large -from the skyline, and what you said about having 1 million inhabitants - really big! The water and islands look great. Beautiful hillsides - glad you are having fun. Keep up the posts - it's really fun to read.
Love, me
I've finally caught up with your posts - they sure are fascinating, and the photos too! Keep it up.
Hugs,
C
Well, you certainly have found a paradise there. It's far more majestic and charming than today's Bainbridge. (The ferry ride, though, is still a treat.) Aukland is a big city; looks a bit like Seattle. What a great diverse place. Glad you've had fun. Thanks for sharing. ...T
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