One Burnt Girl

So yesterday it was pretty cloudy, so I went to Kelly Tarlton's, which is Auckland's aquarium. I got to see lots of sharks and such, but more importantly they have an area called "Antarctic Experience", which has, you guessed it, penguins! Lots of penguins, and 2 babies! Unfortunately my pictures are blurry cause we were in a moving 'snowcat'. Then in the afternoon I headed up to Auckland's Mt. Doug, actually Mt. Eden but it is a lot like Mt. Doug, only a volcano. The crater was slightly disappointing. 50m deep, cool, covered in grass and no steam or rocks in the bottom, not so cool. Then last night I headed out with some people from the hostel to watch the fireworks celebrating the Skytower's 10 anniversary. I was a little concerned with the fact that the fireworks were coming off the top of the Skytower and falling towards other buildings. Anyways, today I headed off to Waiheke Island which is just to the east of Auckland. The ferry ride over was beautiful. Once on the island I got on the bus, possibly a big mistake. I am more convinced then ever that New Zealanders can't drive. That ride ranks in my top ten scariest moments of my life. Anyways, I spent the day at Onetangi beach. Believe it or not, I am actually starting to be able to pronounce these names. It was wonderful there, although the sun was stronger then the cloudy day appeared and I returned to Auckland with a nice pinky tinge. I thought I would pass on three things I have realised so far on this trip...1) I have found my fashion home. Halina, you would be disappointed to know that my favourite cords (minus the hole) would fit in here. The standard dress is flip-flops or birks, board shorts and a plain tank. Excellent. 2) I know why it is important to have a travel companion. It is much easier to ask a stranger to take your photo than to ask them to sunscreen your back. This can be demonstrated by the fact that the parts of my back that I can't reach are bright red and a little tender, but I have pictures of myself at the beach. 3) New Zealanders have some of the dumbest driving rules ever, particularly regarding who yields to who. Anyways, off for dinner!