Matchmaking flight complete, immigration and customs survived: who knew that visiting a country for such a short time would raise so much suspicion?! All of us singles boarded the two buses provided by Air New Zealand for our journey into Auckland’s SKYCITY Hotel. The buses were decorated, pink, red & white balloons and hearts adorned the interiors, which kind of made me feel like Valentines day was near. Upon arrival to the hotel we were greeted with a traditional Maori dance. We were told that we would need to respond with our own song and sang “You Are My Sunshine” (I found it quite fitting given that the day was quite gloomy). We then shared “hauora”, the breath of life, by pressing our noses together and breathing in simultaneously.
When you have just 3 days in a new country 6,500 miles away from home you do your best to fit in as much as possible. My first adventure was with 3 other single women: a visit to the Auckland Museum. On our way there we saw a sign for “The Coffee Guy,” and, feeling a bit silly, we decided to head over and take a photo with the sign (which also had a drawing of a mysterious looking gentlemen we assumed was the coffee guy). Before we could snap our first photo a man emerged from the building: the coffee guy in the flesh!He invited us in and “shouted” us a coffee. (I just love non-American lingo!) I’m not a coffee drinker but I will say this: it was THE BEST cup of coffee I have had in a long time, perhaps ever. Unsure if my taste had changed, I checked with Megan who is a coffee drinker and she agreed that was one amazing cup of coffee! So next time you are in Auckland look out for “The Coffee Guy”’s mobile coffee drive-thrus and grab a cup, amazing!
Coffee in hand, we continued our journey to the museum. Once inside I found the visual display of artifacts, which included dinosaur bones, traditional Maori buildings, boats and art, the largest selection of taxidermy animals I have ever seen, ceramics, fashion, furniture, toys and even candy! It was the most fantastic display I have seen in one place in my life. The Auckland Museum has officially become my favorite museum to date! Fighting jet lag, we headed back to our hotels and enjoyed some well-deserved rest.
Terry and I arranged to do the bridge walk Thursday afternoon. We lucked out and the rain from the previous day cleared and we had a windy but glorious afternoon to climb. We got to watch several people bungee jump off the bottom of the bridge. For those of you who don’t know, bungee jumping found its roots in New Zealand. For whatever reason, you can jump off of several structures in and surrounding Auckland. It was explained to me as a way for the tiny country to make its mark. I guess jumping off building and bridges for no good reason is memorable and crazy!
The bridge walk is a little bit like being on a dog on a run. You are locked into a cable system that runs the entire length of the walk. The belt around your waist has a leash extending to a coupler that attaches to the cable and keeps you safe for the entire walk, though it probably functions more as a security device for those a bit apprehensive about the walkways with traffic whizzing below. My favorite part of the bridge walk was watching the boats sailing beneath the bridge waiting for the gun to go off on the Friday afternoon races.
I made it back to the hotel just in time to pull myself together and head out the door for the ‘Matchmaking Ball’ pre-party and bus ride over to The Wharf on the north-side of the harbor.
The ball was spectacular. The venue was breathtaking and everyone was in good spirits and open to the possibilities that the evening might hold. There were several bars with food, drinks, and dessert. We were entertained by the crew at LAX who performed the famed “single-ladies” dance. I had a couple of friends show up who had not been on the flight: Stuart, an old friend from my days as an AFS exchange student in Belgium and Anna, a fellow Triathlete and friend from LA who happened to be in Auckland for her father’s 60th birthday celebration the same week. I also got to spend some more time getting to know Dan and Dave (more on this later). All in all, the evening was a success.
The following day Stuart and I ventured into the country in the city for a glimpse at some sheep. Considering the sheep-to-resident ratio he boasted about during our time in Belgium, I felt it only fitting that my last day in New Zealand included some time with our woolly friends. After some trouble attempting to catch a lamb, Stuart honed in on an unsuspecting sleeping lamb, which he proceeded to expertly catch.
But wait, this trip isn’t about sightseeing and catching sheep, it’s about catching (or being caught by) the one, right?! Well, always enjoying a good cliffhanger, I might have left out a detail or three. Was the trip a success? Did I find love? Stay tuned to find out!
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Great story! When’s the next part? Cliffhanger noooooooo!
did you at least get laid by a hot kiwi?!