Day 1 - A Good First Impression

Day Number 1 in New Zealand...

This morning I got off the plane at 6:30 (thursday the 19th) and caught the airbus from the airport to the Hostel. I was immediately amazed at the amount of greenery that surrounds the city. Needless to say New Zealand made an incredible first impression.

After making it to the hostel I was really starting to notice the effects the last 24 hrs had had on me. For those of you who know me, you know that I am directionally challenged so trying to figure out where I was going all by myself proved to be a bit difficult and extremely exhausting.

When I walked up to the desk at the hostel the women pleasantly informed me that check in wasn't until 1pm... which left me with 4.5 hrs to keep myself occupied. I knew right away that it was going to be a very long day.

So off I went to explore the city of Auckland with a girl I had met just 5 minutes earlier. We walked around and through the majority of downtown Auckland. Along the way we discovered some cool places. My favourite being a tea store (all loose leaf, and natural teas with tons of free samples.. my favourite).  While walking around I was made very well aware of one aspect of this city and that is the amount of hills... and when I say hills I mean very steep climbs, all along the main streets. Something you don't generally get in downtown Toronto.

One of my favourite parts about the entire day was just how friendly everyone seems to be.  Everywhere we went people would just strike up a conversation with us. But my favourite moment, and perhaps the peak of the politeness, came when a man got slightly frustrated at a women for walking slow, while on her phone and subsequently blocking the walkway. He proceeded to push past her, then seconds later turned around to apologize for being rude. When has anyone ever done this in downtown Toronto? In my experience, never.

The last few days have felt like one huge day... and for this reason, even though I am excited to be in such a beautiful, new place, the only thing I can truly look forward to is the moment when my head will hit the pillow and I am able to sleep for more then 3 hours at a time.

Now let me just leave you with one last thing,  a quote heard just moments ago, straight out of the mouth of a worker here at the hostel...

"Help yourself to some goon punch, tastes gross but it'll get you drunk fast" 

(Mom isn't this the kind of things want to be hearing? ;) )

Rachel