Mar 9

We're here! And, sure enough, our hotel is close to the ship, just like I asked for. Close enough to almost lean out and touch it. Once we got off the ship, claimed our bags - what a nightmare, the baggage claim area is just about the right size for one of those little commuter airplanes, not a 3000-passenger ship - and managed to get back out the door, the hotel was just a few steps away. A good thing, I was exhausted after fighting the crowds to get in and out of the baggage hall. Mary met us at the hotel, and we went exploring and had lunch at a nearby pub. We were right in the middle of the big AUckland Boat Show in the harbour. The boats were actually moored, what a nice way to have a boat show instead of in a convention hall.

Then, while Mary went off to class, Mike and I took a short city tour to get a feel for AUckland. It's a nice city, built on a bunch of dormant volcanoes, and only a few kilometers across - from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea.

Mary's roommate Lindsey joined us, we watch our ship sail out of sight, and went off to a local pub for dinner.