Auckland Day!

I've discovered a new hobby! Kite surfing! Here's how it works: You hook yourself up to a type of harness that stabilizes your back. This harness looks similar to those back braces people use who don't have good backs but it also has a strong line connecting you to a giant parachute type thing that is flying through the air thanks to the wind. After getting snugly into your brace you then pick up your board with one had (more like a wake board than a surf board) and away you go. Your biggest challenge: "controlling" your giant kite while putting your feet into place on your board while not being blown away. Oh it's not as easy as it sounds :). Mostly it's a battle to even get into the water in the first place. So once your feet are in place you grab onto the conveniently placed handles that appear about chest high on your strong cord connecting you to your kite and away you go. Your navigation ability is based solely on your upper body strength and your ability to combat the wind. Doesn't it sound awesome?

Because it was Auckland day we had a day off of school which roughly translates into rent a van and head to the beach! We left fairly early and drove up north to a beach called Orewa. It was a bit windy and overcast when we first arrived but after about an hour it turned into a lovely day. Perfect for kite surfing. In answer to your question no I did not go but we just happened to be on the beach where everyone comes to kite surf. Seriously! It was like a convention! The beach was full of parachute being prepped to go out into the water. It was so amazing watching these guys wrestle with the wind and then go sailing off. Some caught some amazing air (like 30-40 feet) and were able to do some flips and various other tricks. I could have watched them all day. The coolest part is that you don't even have to go out very far into the water.

At about 2 we left the beach and walked into the town for a look around. After talking amongst ourselves we decided to hit the city of Auckland and see what type of festivals were going on to celebrate the city. We drove up just in time to see the band Of Monsters and Men take the stage. Tickets were over $100 to get in so we just found a park that had a pretty good view of the stage (even if it was far away) and of course you could hear the sound from anywhere. They were pretty good live. There were lots of other bands playing and tons of people. As we walked past the port we saw a huge cruse ship at the dock. I've never seen a boat that big (besides the aircraft carrier we've been on in New York). There were SO many levels!

Our final venture of the day was to pick up some fish and chips and head to another beach on the west side of the city to watch the sun set. It was such a perfect time to go because there weren't very many people there and the water was very calm. It was beautiful. Another perfect ending to a wonderful day!