Next Stop: New Zealand

Well Aimee and I left Australia Friday morning...later that afternoon we were in Auckland, New Zealand being greeted by our cousin Elissa and her husband Sean. We were officially in New Zealand for a quick weekend before finally heading home. Before going to Sean and Elissa’s we stopped by the famous One Tree Hill. No, this wasn’t the One Tree Hill the show, but the actual place. It was pretty cool cause we got there just as the sun was setting so we got an amazing view of the city with the sun set...on the other side was the moon rising. The only down side was that there actually was no tree on the hill. The tree was vandalized a few years back and had to be cut down. A new one was going to be planted, but that never happened.

After dinner, we went with Sean’s brothers and sister-in-law to go luging. That was a lot of fun. Basically, it is a go cart without the motor, going down hill, with bar handles like a bike - somewhat. Pictures will explain it better. So trust me: it was fun.

Saturday, after sleeping in a bit we figured out what we wanted to do for the rest of the weekend. Just before lunch, we headed out to the west coast to visit Piha. A beach with black sand. It was pretty cool to see. Then Aimee, Elissa, and I headed out for a hike in a rainforest and saw an amazing waterfall. I was excited cause I really wanted to see a waterfall.

Sunday Aimee, Elissa, and I climbed Rangitoto. An "active" volcano. I put active in quotations cause nothing has happened with it for about 600 years, yet is still considered active. It was a good hike with an amazing view...plus lots of lava rocks. Once at the top, we were able to see 360 degrees all around and get a clear picture of what Auckland looks like.

Then on Monday, Aimee and I headed out to the airport for our journey back home. The weekend in New Zealand was a perfect way to end our trip. It was relaxing, yet we were still able to see part of Auckland. I will definately come back to see other parts of New Zealand!!