Yesterday

Well, what can I say? My first day in Auckland was a mixed bag. I walked to the supermarket through the prettiest neighbourhood I have ever seen! Think white washed houses and picket fence, think little front porches and flower beds... And then put all that in Jurassic Park! I'm not kidding, I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen some dinosaurs wandering about, Diplodocus nibbling at the sky high ferns! There was an abundance of strange plants and wildlife. The Cidada-esque bugs in the trees make the most glorious racket and the birds hardly move as you walk past them!
No one could walk through Mt Eden's affluent streets and not be awed by the way nature has squeezed itself into every available nook and cranny, and how the past seems to have outdone the present!
I bought many useless things at the supermarket, (countdown, in case you were wondering) all things I thought would be edible, but turned out to be too sweet. But also made some incredible discoveries... Wait for it... KIWI BERRIES!! Seriously, they look like dark green grapes, but when you cut into them kiwi inside!! They are also barely bigger than a grape! I will have to buy more, I ate them in one go. Shopping in NZ seems expensive, each item seems to be around NZ$4 which is fine for some things, but ridiculous for others. I left the supermarket weighed down to the point that the heat, my jet lag, my lack of food and sleep, my cough, my GHASTLY pulled muscle made me stop and sit in the shade of a tree to eat my first apple in 4 days! A Braeburn, it was amazing. I dragged myself and my bags back to my room a 20 minute walk away (which I think I made into a 40 minute walk...) and unpacked. I had been up since 4am so it was still pretty early. I heated up some pumpkin soup on the hob (no microwave!) and ate it in the scorching heat of the balcony. I also bought myself an amazing luck ox that seals and has it's own cutlery, so I can store any extra food I cook myself for the next day and take it on excursions!
I walked an equally long and infinitely more confusing walk to a cashpoint and then popped into the music shop (which is almost next door!) and bought myself a Kala travel Ukulele (for those of you who have met Adrian's Ukulele...) which I am THRILLED with, and WILL bring back with me, even if it means bringing it and no other carry on luggage, but I'm trying to find a way around that (suggestions welcome!)
In the late evening I walked up Mt Eden and watched it go dark, I missed sunset by 10 mins so will climb it again in the hope I will catch it next time! I had a poor evening but enough said about that. I also managed to use a pay phone to organise my hotel pick up for today's excursion as my phone wouldn't work. I was panicking but I found a solution and it was a very big deal for me so I feel proud for that. PHOTO TIME!! (I will walt the path to Countdown again ant take some photos, I will also put a video on youtube soon)