Back to Auckland Thursday - January 30, 2014

THURSDAY – JANUARY 30, 2014

BOTTOM LINE:

Walked to the Quarry Gardens

Transported to Auckland

BACK STORY:

We checked out of our hostel, The Bunkdown Lodge, but were allowed to store our baggage until we shuttled to the bus stop at 3pm.

Not to waste a day, Bruce wanted to walk and see the Quarry Gardens.  Peter, the hostel host said that it would be an easy 20 minute walk.  An hour later after hiking up and down hills we made it to the entrance.  It was hot and sunny out so the breeze helped to cool us.

It turned out that the area was a mined rock quarry and someone got the brilliant idea of beautifying it. 

Plants, retaining walls, terraces, creeks and a lake help to adorn a very beautiful garden area.  Local clubs have helped to donate picnic tables and benches for visitor’s enjoyment.  It is highly secured as they had an arsonist set two fires to the area.  Luckily little damage occurred and he was arrested.

 

Quarry Garden, Whangarei, NZ

 

Plants at Quarry Garden

Beauty among rocks

Upon our return walk, we caught the last of our Kiwi Experience bus rides back to Auckland where we began on Dec. 25, 2013.  We checked into our LAST hostel in the city around 5pm.  Once settled and cleaned up we headed out for a bite to eat.

Auckland skyline

Our room faced the street and was over an open air pub.  The hostels like to support the local pubs so once a week they do what’s called a “pub crawl.”  About 100 tickets are sold for about $15 each.  The group of 100, start out at one bar and move together as a group to three other bars for a total of four beers.  It begins at 10pm and runs until…lets say, I checked my watch at 4pm when the noise ended!  Many of the young people were to board a bus at 8am!  I am soooooo glad that our tour with Kiwi is O V E R!!!

Although this is an amazing country to visit and I would highly recommend the experience, I would not recommend how we traveled in NZ.  The good thing about the Kiwi Experience Tour is that we were taken to places that we may not have experienced on our own and we have had wonderful commentary along the way.  If you are up to traveling with young people (average age: 20years) who may or may not be mature/respectful and like staying in hostels that may lack private rooms, bathrooms and unclean kitchen facilities…then sign up!  

The next few days will be in transit through Fiji and onto home. Unless there is some compelling reason that draws my computer out, I will call this the end of our three-month blog to Australia and New Zealand. We are over the top grateful for this time and means to travel together. It has been incredible and filled with memories to last our lifetime.

We will be at home for one week before leaving for South America on February 16^th.  You are invited to check back at this sight to travel with us through another amazing part of this world that God has gifted us with!