Off to Auckland

The shuttle to the airport picked us up at 6:40 am and we were off to New Zealand. The flight was uneventful and we arrived to beautiful sunny weather. Our hotel, the Aspen House, was basic, but well located. We walked downtown and had drinks and appetizers by the harbor.

Going from Sydney to Auckland is like moving from the U.S. to Canada. In Auckland, everyone is fit and trim, well-dressed and polite. This was obviously a country obsessed with fitness and outdoor exercise. We weren’t feeling like we fit in very well.

The next day, we checked email and found that E.D. had fallen and broken his shoulder cup. We got on the phone and called – a bit panicked given his age. My mom assured us that he was doing OK- but you could tell that the stress was getting to both of them. And, of course, having to deal with Mija wasn’t helping. We promised to call daily to check on him.

W took a city tour that morning to get a feel for the city. It’s a beautiful city, surrounded by water.

We went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The exhibits on the Maori culture were spectacular and we took in a performance of Maori culture, dance and song. While a bit hokey- it was a good introduction to the ethnic minority of NZ.

Dinner was at a waterfront Italian restaurant with a Macedonian waiter.