Hello my love,

Wow, after a great night sleep I woke up mostly rested. Woke up with a slight headache knowing I didn’t drink enough water the day before. After finding a wonderful place to have some coffee and a chicken curry puff pastry. I looked and spoke with the attendant asking her what she thought of my itinerary. I learned and changed my plans based on her recommendations…

Walking to the Sky tower I went to take a picture and ended up returning to my room as I forgot to put the battery in my camera. That was a good thing as I learned the best way to get to Auckland Domain Park was to Uber there instead of walking there… Spending most of my morning there I loved it, it was exactly what I needed… I mean doesn’t everyone go to visit a city and the first thing you want to do it spend 1/2 the day a park to get away from the city. Walking through this park was invigorating. I spend a couple hours in the Auckland History museum learning that the tree bark and a sperm whale are very similar… Also, saw the boats they used reminding me of Moana… I can still hear that song in my mind.

Then several hours just walking the park, taking pictures, sitting under a tree and relaxing.

After lunch and a short power nap, I decided to swing by the hotel to get my sunglasses before I head to the harbor. Having only walked 4 miles and not wanting to miss any part of the park, I decided to walk through it a bit more, I somehow went down this street looking for a trail, found the trail – no one on it and so – of course – I took it, looking like it was a jungle I thought of Sofie and how she would love walking through this. Thoughts went from, let check this trail out to Sofie would love this to I love this to I could live here aside from the city with this park to I have countless trails just like this and it is not in the city. Laughing at my thoughts, I settled on – I love this day in this park and am blessed to be able to be here experiencing it.

After resting a moment in the hotel, grabbing my sunglasses and set back off. Walking through a downtown is like walking a through downtown – you have many many many shops, lots of restaurants, businesses in the above floors, people walking everywhere… It was great to see and walk through, people weren’t rude or in a hurry, it just had a pace. As you might know, I walk slower than most so when I heard a family coming up behind me closer and closer, I just merged left to let them pass. Yep, that is right, you walk like you drive here, on the left side of the sidewalk… Slower traffic keep left 🙂

Making it to the harbor I took the Davenport ferry… Knowing there was a 35 min hike to the top of one of their volcanoes and it was already 3:45 and had already walked about 7 miles, I decided to just walk around the town a bit and see what is there.. Finding a quilt store was just a bonus, speaking to the store owner and asking her questions was a lot of fun. They didn’t have many different things than I had already seen so with no bag in my hand and a great memory of conversation.

Waiting for the next ferry, I decided to grab a snack and a glass of wine. Wanting New Zealand mussels which I pay so much for at home, I thought this will be great. The place I went to unfortunately were out of mussels and oysters… So I settled with a glass of wine and calamari. The ferry ride was invigorating, the ocean water and wind reminds me how much I miss the water and the ocean on a daily basis. Now some of you might raise an eye brow knowing that I live within a .5 mile of the Columbia River and know I see the water every day. Being on the water and in the water are so different, at least in my mind they are. Pretty much means, I either get in my kayak more often, rent boats or just go on more vacations 🙂 I think I will probably choose the first and the last options.

Craving mussels and oysters, I had researched/yelped this place called – Shucker Brothers… There, at the Auckland Harbor I found them and enjoyed oysters first, then enjoying watching the ferries come in and out and people watching I decided to have another glass of wine and mussels and shoestring fries… By the that was all done it was about 7 pm and time to start heading back to a bubble bath.

Reflecting on my day, walking 8.7 miles through a park and through a downtown, feeling the sun on my face, enjoying good food and wine and ending it with classic music and a bubble bath… I am ready to begin the driving part of this trip. See the northern half of this wonderful island.

Love you always,

me