We started our teaching recess adventure in Auckland! Caught the Nakedbus on Saturday morning and got to Auckland around noon. We lugged our 20 kg bags up steep streets to our friend Dani's dorm. She's going to University of Auckland for the semester and we're so happy that she let us stay with her for the weekend! She lives in a flat with 4 other roommates, and all but one are from the States. Our first stop was Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, or something. I made up the second part of the name, but it fits :) It was a lot more "kiddish" than we expected, although there were some pretty cool animals including the most ginormous stingray I've ever seen! I can't even describe how big it was!! We went on a cute ride around the penguin exhibit, and then took a dive in the shark tank! There were makos, tigers, and a few other types of sharks and we got to go "shark caging." It wasn't as intense as the ones at home because these sharks were kept in an exhibit, and therefore well fed so they weren't looking for an afternoon snack, thankfully.
That night, we went to a House of Shem concert. It was a lot of fun. They're really popular at home in Hawaii, and kinda old news here in NZ. Consequently, the concert wasn't too packed and Logan got to meet/talk with the band after!
The next morning we took a ferry to Rangitoto Island and hiked up to the top. It was about an hour hike, but on a hill. It was pretty tough and we were pretty sweaty and tired by the end. It didn't help that about halfway up the mountain, Ke Akua decided to pour on us. Good thing I brought my trusty umbrella! The view from the top was beautiful and we were able to see Auckland across the harbor!
Dani showed us a really good Japanese food place near her dorm and I got Chicken Katsu and Logan had some Teriyaki Chicken plate. It was really good! She said they even have L&L about 20 minutes away from her dorm. Amazing!!! I wonder if it tastes like home?
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