In Auckland we had a nice 3 bedroom flat that was the second story of a gated home in Mission Bay, a nice beachside suburb. We could walk to the restaurant area and a nice grocery, and could catch a bus right out front to the city center.
Auckland is a nice enough city we decided with it's undulating coast line, the city of sails. It seemed though strangely deserted to us. Where were all the people? It turns out all of New Zealand is like that - blissfully uncrowded.
Mostly though we bided our
time until our friend Barbara flew in from LA.
Barbara is a very great friend of ours, ever since she was the cutest 5
year old you’ve ever seen, and we were thrilled to share with her a week of our
around the world trip during her spring break from UCSB.
Our major outing in Auckland was an
afternoon on a ship that the Japanese sailed into the semi finals of the America’s
Cup race. It was a very cool boat. We sailed it for two hours through the bay
and within sight of our apartment’s balcony.
It was definitely different than your everyday run-of-the-mill sailboat
ride. We went really fast and keeled
waaaay over; we didn’t lose anyone, though we might have. Both Barbara and Wilder got a chance to
captain the boat, Wilder between the piers underneath the Auckland Bridge. The view was fabulous, and it was a fantastic
day.
That same day we wandered
through the Maritime Museum and learned about how Polynesians first settled New
Zealand.
Tomorrow we check out of our digs and head out to see some of the North Island, during the 5
short days that we have left to show Barbara a good time.
Our first night in the house, my wife and I were lying in bed. I was thanking God for my blessings. Thanking God for not having to pull aside a dining room curain to have my children near—that they were right down the hall, asleep in their Superman underwear, their little chests rising and falling to the pulse of their dreams.
ReplyDeleteI thought how some blessings are fickle guests. Just when we think they're here to stay, they pack their bags and move. When we're in the midst of blessing, we think it's our due—that blessing lasts forever. Next thing you know we're sitting helpless beside a hospital bed. All we're left with is a name on a wall, a toy in a desk, and memories that haunt our sleep.
Sometimes we come to gratitute too late. It's only after blessing has passed on that we realize what we had. Cheap Flights to Auckland | Flights to Auckland