Auckland, New Zealand--the end of the road.

This trip to the Bay of Islands was a girls trip, just me, Jaimie, and Olivia, as Sam was planning on staying in Auckland to meet up with other friends.  We were excited to escape the cold and gloom of Auckland and spend 2 full days lounging in the sun on the beach.  Unfortunately, not even 3 hours north was far enough away to escape the gloom, instead it was worse!  Rain, fog, and crazy wind, we stayed as far AWAY from the beach as possible.  We also opted to pass on the camping, as setting up the tent in the rain and sleeping in it in the intense wind and rain sounded anything but pleasant.  We checked into a lovely backpackers hostel and set off to find a way to kill time.  We ended up going on a 3 hour hike through the rainforest to see a waterfall.  Nice hike, lame waterfall, but it felt good to get out and do something after being in a car for a week!  We got back to the hostel and had ourselves a little wine and BBQ night before braving the cold to walk into town for a look around.  We looked in a few stores, stopped for some ice cream, and headed back home to hit the hay well before 10pm.

NZ's famous silver fern!

Jaimie and Olivia

the grand finale

Sunday the weather was just as bad, so we drove into town, did some last minute souvenir/Christmas shopping, and set off for home.  We got home, bundled up and watched a movie, all while Olivia's boyfriend made us some homemade fish and chips for dinner!  Olivia invited her friend Vin over, and after dinner Vin took us on a grand tour of Auckland.  We drove down a street that is apparently very well-known for it's extravagant Christmas lights, but it's got nothing' on the US's display of lights!  The tour was great and Auckland is an amazingly beautiful city, even by night!

Auckland Sky Tower

Monday and Tuesday, Olivia had to work, so Jaimie and I spent the majority of the day relaxing, watching movies, packing up, and recapping the highlights from our trip (and trust me, there are many).  Monday afternoon, Vin came to visit and we had a nice relaxing time watching a movie before Olivia came home from work, joined us for a trip to the grocery store, and set off for Vin's house for a BBQ with her roommates.  It was a feast for kings, as we had sausages, steaks, and a huge assortment of grilled vegetables, plus a delicious apple pie for dessert!  Tuesday Vin was able to come entertain us again with a nice little walk through the rainforest nearby and a trip to the most dangerous beach in New Zealand!  We enjoyed a nice misty walk taking a look at all the amazing native NZ trees and plants, and creepy bugs.  We returned home to find yet another amazing feast awaiting us, as Olivia had prepared a roast chicken with vegetables, accompanied by a wine and hot tub night :)  A wonderful way to end not only a wonderful stay in NZ, but a truly incredible adventure.

Maori statues

Piha Beach

Wednesday we were up and off to the airport bright and early, 8 hours before the flight's departure because of Olivia's work schedule.  It was a great chance for Jaimie and I to get in some last minute one-on-one time before saying goodbye for who knows how long.  It was a very sad, tearful goodbye, but I know we will remain the best of friends, no matter how far apart we are.  While we have no idea when we will see each other next, I am positive it will be within a year, which for now is most important!