Auckland

Sky Tower/360° Lunch/Shopping/Rugby

     Auckland is known for several things. One is sailing. Another one is the Sky Tower! These were both two things I had not done till this weekend! But this weekend completed the Auckland experience! Saturday all the girls our professor and I went up to the Sky Tower! 
    Saturday morning, I got to sleep in! I know it's a first! When do I ever say I got to sleep in over here! Anyway, it was such a great morning. Hannah and I woke up slowly, and got ready, then waited to be picked up! And by waited I mean the taxi was here ten minutes early, so we were running around the house frantically trying to finish up getting ready then left about five minutes earlier than was scheduled! Today we were heading up to the Sky Tower. I didn't really know what to expect with this, but I was really excited! 
     We got to the Sky Tower, and I knew we were going up to look out, but I wasn't really sure what else. But when I got there, I became very confused. In order to go up to look out,  you have to go done. I know go figure right? To go up you have to go down! Anyway, we went down, then we got on the elevator. This is where I realized when I was little I thought I was scared of Tower of Terror because of the pre-movie they play. This is a false judgment. I was scared of the elevator. 
     We got in the elevator to go up, and the bottom of the elevator was partly glass. You would think this would be really neat to see how far up you are going correct? Well actually no, it terrified me (Yes it was cool, but still I was terrified!) I looked down, and my heart and stomach just dropped! I was more scared to ride up this elevator then I was to jump off a bridge, or jump out of a plane! No joke!

 

     This picture was taken about twenty five floors up. We were going up 51 floors to the main observatory! SCARY! Being able to see 51 floors below me in an elevator (that just might fall and make me crash over into the twilight zone) scared me so bad! No worries though, I successfully made it to the top, and had the most amazing view!

      We got up 51 floors above the ground, and we walk out! Here we can walk around and see the entire view of Auckland! We could see the Harbor Bridge, all of the city, all the different parks, and everything in Auckland! It was beautiful! Then they had a platform you could walk down on and see how far up you were from the ground. Now if the elevator didn't scare you too much, this might have. You could look down, and see the street! Oh my gosh! This was really kind of scary! 

 

      Can you see how far down that would be f that glass broke! Yeah that was really kind of scary! I really don't know why I can jump out of a plane, but looking down standing on glass was scary for me, but it really was. Anyway, we walked around the floor and had an amazing view, then Jim said, "Girls it's time for our lunch." 

     For lunch we went up 1 floor high in the Sky Tower, and had lunch! First I must say I have forgotten how much I like going to nice restaurants! This was a really neat restaurant! They sit you down on tables, then while you are eating, you are going around slowly in circles getting a complete 360 degree view of Auckland! It was so neat!

      I went in and I sat with Neeley, Christine, Hannah, Becca, and Katie! We had such a fun table! We sat down, and we all looked at the menu. There were so many choices. As we were deciding our menu, They brought us out rolls and pastries. I was very mess (so was my table). I wished I would have had my little crumb scraper so I could clean off the flakes of bread from the table! Anyway, Neeley and I split two different types of pastries so we could try them. We split a chocolate danish, and then a cinnamon roll. They were both incredible! 

    The waiter then came back and asked us if we were ready to order. The meal was a three course meal and a drink. To drink, I got a pineapple juice! It was delicious! Then for my appetizer I had grilled calamari. It was very good. It was grilled then had a hint of lemon on it with cut up tomatoes! It was so delicious! 

    Following this, we had our  main meal! Mine was so good! I had a fillet and some spare ribs! With it I had french fries, green beans and parsnips! It tasted so good! Mhmm...I was so full after this! I couldn't even finish my entire meal! That isn't like me! I usually can finish my meal! 

 

    We sat there and digested a little bit while we enjoyed the view!  Then it came time for dessert. Now I know I couldn't finish my main meal, but you see there was still a third of my stomach untouched, because that was for dessert! They brought the desserts menu out, and there were so many choices! I wasn't sure what I wanted to get. Our table decided on the best thing, there were six desserts that looked really good. There were six of us at the table. So we decided, we would get the six different desserts, and then share them all and all get a little of each dessert! It was the best idea yet! 

   Our six desserts included; the chocolate (the first in the table), the kiwi favorite berry pavlova (The second), the coconut (the third on the table), the peanut cherry nut (The fourth on the table). Then we got a second pavlova, and a second chocolate. These deserts were amazing! All of them were incredible. I think my favorite one was the peanut cherry. I know it sounds weird but it was so good. It was like a thin layer of chocolate cake with peanut butter ice cream in the middle, then with cherry ice cream on top with sauce drizzled over it. It was so good! I also really liked the pavlova! It's similar to a whipped cream and meringue and then raspberries on top. It's kind of hard to explain, but it really was so good! 

     Following dessert, Hannah and I decided that since we were all the way up fifty two floors, we would go up to the very top of the Sky Tower, and go up another 8 floors! We went up 60 floors off of the ground! It was so high up! Up on this floor, they had things that you looked through that directed your attention to certain things in Auckland. They had Eden park, they showed one tree hill, they showed the harbor bridge, townhall, and several other things I had been to in Auckland! This was really neat! I enjoyed coming up to the very top!  

     Once we had felt like we were ready to go, we went back down the very bottom of the sky tower. We then had to go up another level to get out. After we were out, Hannah and I decided we wanted to stay in Auckland for the next little while to go to the Rugby game, rather than to go back to our house then try and come back in later for the rugby game. 

     Hannah and I decided we would walk around Queenstreet, and go in and out of the stores. I have gotten to know Auckland very well. It's crazy, I don't even get lost there anymore. I can see the streets and know where I am! I never thought that would happen! I think my favorite store to go into on Queenstreet is the Rugby ones. They have so many All Blacks things, and so many Blues things! I love looking at them! 

    After we had walked around on Queenstreet we decided we would head up to Parnell and look through the shops up there!

    I loved Parnell! Parnell shops are so fun just to look through and glance around! They have some of my favorite shops! First they have the chocolate Boutique! This is just such a quaint little chocolate factory! They have some of the best chocolate! To bad yesterday we were still to full to even have any! ha ha! They also have some of the prettiest home decor shops! Then my favorite shop up on Parnell is called the Yellow Brick Road! It has the cutest dresses! It's all vintage clothing, and it is absolutely adorable! It's kind of hidden in the back of Parnell, but once you are there, you never want to leave! It's adoreable!  

   After we had looked around the shops, it was time for us to head up to the Blues game! YEAH! Go blues! Now Rugby is the thing to do here if there is a Rugby game! There is nothing better than the Rugby game in the eyes of the kiwis! I must say I am starting to think that way as well! So Hannah and I headed up to Eden Park! Go Blues! 

     Hannah and I met Neeley, Nicole, Whitney, and Emily at the game! We thought we had good seats last time! Well this time, it topped it! We were about five rows up from center on the blues side! Could we have got any better seats I don't think so! 

 

     We got there a little early, because we wanted to see everything that happened before the game started, and see the players warm up! I decided I would probably be tired after just the warm up! It was so much fun! As the teams are warming up, they have a real band there playing putting on a show in the middle of the field! How cool is this? We loved it!

    Once the players were warmed up we watched the game! The blues were playing against the Hurricanes! It was a pretty good game! I've got to say these players are tough! I don't get how they can just tackle each other without pads or anything on to protect them, but they do! Then the thing that impresses me even more is that they get tackled, and the play doesn't stop, but the game keeps going, and it's a constant running game for forty minutes!

    There is one thing that you can always find at a good sports match though, and that is fans yelling funny things, to other people in the fans, and to the refs! This was something that didn't happen last time, and I was a little bit surprised, but no worries even in New Zealand they do this too! My favorite one from last night was at the first of the game. All the people were standing up, and little boy (no more than about age 6) from about twenty rows back calls out, "Hey! You bought seats for a reason!" ha ha! It was really funny! Then everyone decided to sit down! That was something else I found interesting, it's not like football games back home, where you stand up the entire game cheering and rarely sit down. Over here you sit down and enjoy the game! Crazy!
    Then my favorite part of the game is when the Blues score! I love when the fireworks go off, and they shoot fire up around the arena! It looks so cool! All of the Blues flags are waving and the fire is going off, and fireworks are going off! It is incredible!

 

    Anyway, now that Rugby is my new favorite sport, and I am a Blues fan, I am proud to say that the Blues dominated the game! They were incredible! At first it was looking a little bit shaky, but by the end they were unstoppable. It's almost like the hurricane's got "Jimmered." Okay not really...but the Blues did so good! It was even the 100th Rugby game for the captain of the Blues, so we got to see them do a special award ceremony for him! It was so much fun! Yesterday was just such a great day!

    That was really my last weekend in Auckland, and I must say it has been absolutely incredible! I am really going to miss being able to go into rugby games, and being able to go into Britomart, or Mission Bay, or any of those places! I love Auckland! It has been such an amazing weekend to have be my last weekend in Auckland!