Kiwis in Auckland! (Actual kiwis!)

This morning, we dropped off the car at the airport and flew to Auckland. We were expecting a demanding budget airline experience, and were pleasantly surprised! The staff were very kind, and we didn't need to move any items from bag to bag. Katie's bag was just on the cusp at 19.9 kg! Perfection.

We enjoyed the free WiFi at the airport (sweet, sweet internet) before our short jaunt to Auckland. Once we landed, we picked up the airport-city bus, buying return tickets for our journey back tomorrow. The bus was actually pretty efficient, and dropped us off very close to our new hotel. We were able to check in right when we arrived, even though we were a couple hours early! We dropped off our bags, and then left to find Soul Bar & Bistro for some lunch. Soul was a fantastic decision. Katie had a great ham and truffle mac and cheese, and I had a tasty pan-fried hapuku. I also had two Spicy Mexican cocktails, since my driving duties are officially over on this trip. Woo!

The flowers were in the drinks when they arrived. I ate the purple one.

After lunch, we caught a cab across town to the zoo. We saw a fire ferret red panda named Pabu, hung out with the seals and penguins, and actually saw some kiwis! The nocturnal room was a quiet zone, but there was a child making a lot of noise when we arrived, so the kiwis were hiding. Fortunately, he and his mother left shortly after we got there, and not 30 seconds after they left, the kiwis came out. They're so much bigger than I thought they'd be! They were so cute, and we were incredibly excited to finally see them. It made my day.

Pabu!

The larger-than-anticipated kiwi!

We saw various other birds, as well as a serval, lions, hippos, and cheetahs, before we left the zoo. We caught a bus back to the ferry building, and walked around trying to find the major fan sports area near the water. Because of the triathlon happening downtown, we couldn't get across several major streets, so we decided to head back towards the hotel and post up in a bar along the way. We grabbed a couple pints at a cowboy-themed bar and caught about 75 of New Zealand's runs in the CWC final match. Finding a good point to leave, we came back to our hotel, and tried to book a spa treatment for the morning. Our hotel spa was full, so we called the East Day Spa at Sky City (which happens to be rated #1 on Tripadvisor in the city). They put us down for 11:45 tomorrow morning! That's very exciting - after all this vacationing, I could use some relaxing.

Katie and I ordered room service, and ate while watching Australia put a hurtin' on the Black Caps. Even though we were rooting for NZ, it was still a fun match to watch. Katie took a bath while I watched more of the match and did some make-up entries. I think she really enjoyed it, because she was in there a long time! I'm glad our hotel has such a nice tub for her. For my part, I'm glad to be caught up on the trip! I'm sad that tomorrow's the last day, but I know it will be fun. I'm looking forward to the spa and tying up some loose ends. New Zealand has been a great place to visit, and we're already talking about coming back. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.