City of Sails

Just got back from my trip to Auckland this morning and what an absolutely fantastic time it was! Turned out to be a much different kind of trip than I had originally anticipated. Mainly due to the fact I was crashing at a friend's place so ended up hanging out with them quite a lot, which was so much fun cos they're a hilarious lot! But I still met up with everyone I had planned on AND got a substantial amount of shopping done -- it got to the point where on Saturday afternoon I just stopped going into shops cos it was going too too well, having already spent waaaaaaay more money than I should have. But I got some great stuff on sale, mainly from Max, and the most perfect pair of heels (at half price!) for a dress I got a few weeks back for my trip to Seattle in April.

The weather was great so I got to do a fair bit of exploring the area I was staying at too. The location of my friend's place was pretty amazing because it was literally right next to Auckland med school/hospital and Newmarket was five minutes walk in one direction and Queen Street about fifteen minutes walk in the other direction.

I often forget just how beautiful Auckland is too, in its own way. That rich, lush, dark green which engulfs the city in all directions; the sun which feels a bit brighter and thicker; and the sky which may be a bit more bluer; not to mention, that gorgeous harbour and Rangitoto Island in the background.

Auckland will always be tantamount to my early childhood -- some of the very first memories I have of running around barefoot in the fields of Mt Roskill... fun times! Driving through the city, the names of places all sound vaguely familiar, but not familiar enough. I kind of like it that way.

But, once again, I'm glad to be home. I know it was only for a few nights but it was pretty tiring, especially since the friends I was staying with have very different sleeping and eating patterns than I do. We joked how we function on two different time zones -- I'm pretty sure I'm five hours ahead of them! LoL. And I missed my bed so much -- I always do!

I've come back with plenty of free "souvenirs," including eight mosquito bites and three blisters! Urgh.

I can't believe it's already the end of January! It's my last week of break, and unfortunately I have to spend it worrying about learning to drive. I have a lesson planned everyday for the next four days, and I'll prob give the test a go on Friday, the last day of my summer vacation. How sad. I have said this before and I will say it again: I hate having to learn to drive. It has been this huge, heavy black cloud over my life for the past four years and it just follows me around relentlessly. WHY???