Day 25: Let's Do the Kangaroo Hop!

Today started early, with Captain Anoop's call time of 7:00am to leave for the Melbourne International Airport. I woke up around 6:30am, took a quick shower, and packed up all the last minute items around the room before heading downstairs to meet the group.

Anoop called a couple of large taxis to transport everyone from the Village to the Airport and by about 7:45 we were all standing outside the airport. We proceeded to the international terminals and finally found the JetStar desk. Absolutely eager to have my third JetStar experience, I approached the counter and had my checked bag weighed. It weighed in at 17.1kg, well under the 25kg I had paid for over the phone. When the JetStar lady handed me my boarding pass without first asking for my credit card, I was astounded. I would use the old cliche "third time's the charm," but in reality I didn't have any trouble because I prepaid two days before. So really this JetStar experience was identical to my others without drama at the airport. As I've said before, they will get your money at some point. Since they are so "customer friendly," they give you the choice of when to pay.

Anyway, I made it through security again without losing my dignity or taking off my shoes, belt, jacket, or necklace. I proceeded to the gate and looked at my watch to find that our flight did not leave for almost 2 hours. I posted up in some nearby chairs and took the down time to call Brittany and have devo for the day. Flight announcements constantly came over the loud speakers in the airport, but overall we had a nice devo and conversation costing just A$1.00.

Eventually our flight started boarding, but it was another JetStar fail, as boarding began 3 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Thankfully we weren't trying to get to another country and enjoy the majority of the day there or anything. (Much appreciated JetStar) Another thing JetStar does is allow the copilot (at least I hope there are 2) to come out and mingle with the steward and stewardesses during the flight and leave the cockpit door open. Totally sketch. Do your job - please! The flight was smooth (somehow no crash landings), but the word "free" or "complimentary" doesn't work well with JetStars philosophy of "Why pay less?" I watched with longings for Southwest and Delta Airlines as the food cart came by and the stewardess asked me if I would like to donate my life savings to improve JetStar customer service. We landed safely in Auckland and I was quite pleased to get off the flight. It's not every day that "thank you" is in reference to life and death.

Thankfully JetStar does keep up with your baggage (somehow) and after everyone picked up their checked bags at baggage claim and grabbed a burger at McDonald's (I just can't call it "maccas"), we headed for the Waldorf apartments near Grafton, Auckland. Anoop forewarned everyone that these accommodations were the nicest to date, and he was definitely not joking. Reel and I ended up rooming together again and we each have a wonderfully large and soft bed! The kitchen is equipped with an oven and dishwasher, as well as utensils and dishes for 4 people. Our balcony has a great view of the city with an awesome backdrop of mountains and the afternoon sun. Here's a look!

View from our balcony

We had about an hour to get our things situated in the rooms before we met again as a group to walk around the city. The plan was to visit a Maori museum (Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand) since it was around 5:00pm local time (We lost 2 hours due to the time zone change during the flight). We walked through a large park area (The Auckland Domain) and saw some really neat plants and a flock of large geese wandering around. Here's a look to better describe the scenery:

The Auckland Domain

Geese chilling by the road.

Serene environment (Middle of the city, no less!)

 We continued through the Auckland Domain and soon found ourselves approaching the museum. However, on approach we saw several people standing around the door in black ties and tuxedos. We had the odd feeling that guests in blue jeans and wind jackets would not be on the list to get in the party. So instead of touring the museum, we spent some time enjoying the large hill the museum sits on and the awesome view of the city it provides. Here's a look:

Maori Museum

View on left side of hill

View looking out over the middle of the hill

Yes, that is a volcano

Sky Tower!

Artsy shot of the setting sun from the water display in front of the museum

Everyone enjoyed their first views of New Zealand from the hillside, but before too long our stomachs started grumbling so we set off in search of food. We only knew which general direction to go based on where Karen said she had found an Asian market right after we arrived. The professors (who ate during the hour break before the walk) stayed on top of the hill while the rest of us headed off to find some local cuisine. We followed directions and ended up on Karangahape Road. I decided it must be Maori for "Kangaroo Hop," (no idea if that is actually the case since no kangaroos are in New Zealand) but that is how I reference this street now. Kangaroo Hop was definitely the street we were trying to find from our directions, but after walking a few blocks it was obvious that this was definitely a street to frequent only during the day. At night, it is quite sketchy. We decided to go ahead and eat at a Sal's Pizza and head on back to the hotel. The pizza was pretty tasty (New York style), but it wasn't the "local cuisine" we were looking for.

We made it safely back to the room and after realizing the previous tenant had purchased data and not used it all, Reel and I were able to use the Internet for free! I posted a blog and decided to get some sleep to prepare for my first full day in Auckland, New Zealand!