What a day - kinda, it is over a day as we somehow have lost Thursday! Don't know were it went but there you go - its Friday.
I have to say this was the best 14 hours on an aircraft I have ever spent. Drinks before take off, instructions on how to use all the buttons, dinner order given, we have the option to keep our seats upright or reclining for take off - posh huh. Being the rebel that I am I went for the recline position, just to say I've done it. Three movies "Maraduke" "Sex in the City 2" and "Prince of Persia", One sleeping tabled and One seat made into a bed and I'm off. Carla and I did do a bit of giggling over all this fuss but it was amazing.
Got woken up just before Breakfast (overall not that impressed but ok), watched another movie "The A Team" and wow we were landing at 530am.
Got through security fast and then onto the luggage collection - avoiding that bloody beagle dog, he's a food sniffing dog and well those who know me you know me and airport dogs are not friends! Anyhow when my luggage arrived I found that one of them had been cracked. So off to baggage we went, must admit it went quite fast and then onto the bio security. Now that took about 15 min. I warned Carla that my friends would be there to meet me and that within 2 min there would be 4 children attached to every part of me they could reach. She laughed as she witnessed this phenomenon of child swarming. Amazing since its about 630am on a Friday morning and the kids have to go to school in a few short hours. Carla said hi and bye as she was catching a bus into town to her hotel, so we parted ways at the airport.
Big thanks to Angie and Rick for coming to collect me. Got back to their place and am feeling amazing. Peeled the kids off me and sent them off to school and the adults off to work. Sat for a little while and listened to the wind and rain. Yes we have arrived at the start of a huge storm front. Had a shower and was standing outside waiting for the bus by 930am (yes I took public transport - don't judge me!!!!) I am doing the top 3 must see in Auckland tour. The Auckland Zoo, Pride of Auckland afternoon cruise and the Sky Tower. Should I start with the bus trip? Well it was a hour and a half through the suburbs of Glen Eden to downtown Auckland - Wow. The driver was so funny, till a guy ran in front of his bus to make sure he stopped. Driver- "What the hell do ya thing your doing {hard to type with an accent), ya know that's how ya get hurt and the bloody bus driver gets the blame, happened to one of my mates yesterday ya bloody fool" nothing from the runner, just paid his fare and sat down. Welcome home LOL. Got to some parts of Auckland and I started to remember where we were. Driver took me to the train station, he miss understood me that I wanted to go to the InterCity bus line - oh well we grabbed a drink and a mince pie and then got back on the bus and he took me to where I should have been. So even with the travel time I was still 2 hours early for the tour so wondered around the Sky Casino, yup same layout different country. 
I had checked in for the tour and had been given my Sky Tower pass so decided to do that first as apposed to the end of the tour, yup more rebel behavior, just wait till I get home. I soooooooooooo wanted to do the sky walk but I had 2 things against me - One the walk around the outside of the tower wouldn't finish in time for me to get to my bus tour AND the 90 mile winds had closed down the walk. So going to the Observation deck was my only option. The sun had come out so it was really good to walk around and see the city from so high up.
Boarded the bus and off we went to the Auckland Zoo, haven't been there since I was 16 years old. Just as we pulled up the sky's parted and the rain pelted down. Now is the time I am regretting not taking my lovely rain jacked and wondering what was I thinking when I put on my denim jacket. Thank goodness for the umbrellas given to us. One benefit was the Zoo was empty so it was like our own playground as there was only 5 of us on this trip. Kiwi house first, I found the female in the corner but nope she wasn't going to look. Moved onto the tigers, there are 3 tiger cubs that are 6 - 8 months old and even in this rain they were out and about - then we found mamma tiger. Went indoors to see a up-close demo of native animals, don't worry Franki no snakes we don't have any. This was when the worst of the rain came over thank goodness. We moved onto the giraffes and zebras and then to see the lions. Wow one of females came out and came up-close to the glass for us to get the most amazing photos. I personally believe she could see the zebras through the 2 sets of glass and was thinking about lunch.
Since we are on a tour and timeline we then had to leave to get to the docks for our yacht cruse - did I mention the storm? We jumped onboard "Defiance" - hmmm are you seeing a pattern here? As we were being told what was going on and we put on our pretty blue weather protectors I looked up and there was Carla standing on the dock. She had come down to see if her evening cruise would be going ahead - well the answer to that was no it wouldn't. We asked if she could join this tour and yahoo she was then wearing the same crazy blue water thing I was, minus the life jacket. I just felt better wearing a life jacket in these kind of winds and knowing that my darling husband would kill me if I didn't take care. So off we went in 120 mile winds into the harbor, the only yacht to do so I might add! again Defiance - good name????
It was an amazing 90 minutes and I got such a kick out of watching Carla take the wheel and then do a tacking move (sorry if that not the correct sailing language). At times we were sideways it got really crazy out there. The more crazy part was when some person without a brain let me take the wheel as we headed toward the Auckland Harbor Bridge! They even let me do a turn. Ok so my hands were over my eyes and the captain really did it but hey who's going to know. Others had a go at the wheel as well and then we headed back. Carla took us back into dock and she just looked so happy.
Back on land Carla took off to wonder the streets and to have dinner and I got picked up by Rick and off we went home, not before collecting some drinks for the night. Dinner was a nice family affair, sat around talking for a while as we listened to the rain, watched the lighting and counted for the thunder. I made it to bed by 9pm.
Ok lets think about it - this is DAY ONE!!!!
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