Top 5: Auckland Edition

Hello everyone!

Ella and I are currently in Hamilton in the midst of our two-week travel through the North Island, but we promised we'd deliver on our five favorite things in Auckland, so here's the list (in countdown style, of course, to add suspense).

5. CARLOS AT THE DESK
We stayed at Surf and Snow Backpackers in the center of Auckland, which is pretty much your run-of-the-mill hostel. The socialites we are, Ella and I mostly stuck to ourselves (and only stayed in Auckland for two days, allowing us next to no time to really get to know anyone), though we were both quite fond of Carlos, one of the guys who worked at the front desk of Surf and Snow. Helpful and incredibly kind, he helped us to figure out a car rental situation and was an exciting face to return to after wandering around an otherwise foreign city for two days.

4. BOLLY BOYS
There was a Diwali festival on at the pier our second day there, so we decided to go check it out. Much to our delight, we chanced upon the 15-and-under division of the Bollywood Dance Competition and stayed through most of it. The kids ran the spectrum of being actually quite talented and very obviously not wanting to be there. Our favorites were the boys who can easily be broken up into two categories. First, there were the poor souls that were obviously forced into dance classes by a parent that probably wanted to help push them through an awkward phase or perhaps to help them socialize more. They were easily recognized by the pout that sometimes looked like it was on the verge of tears and also by the obvious unwillingness to actually do the assigned dance steps. The alternative was the boys who were practically over-enthusiastic about the whole thing, moving every last fiber of their bodies whenever possible. Our favorite moments were when there were several boys dancing at the same time and it was an obvious split in intention.

3. KOREAN PANCAKE
Korean Pancake was a lifesaver. On our first day wandering through Auckland, Ella complained about a lack of street vendor food-- we wanted a step down from the takeaway storefronts all over the place that was cheap and would fill us up in between meals (we are avid consumers of food). We were on the brink of losing all hope when, like a beacon of light, we saw Korean Pancake. For $2.50 or $3.00, a very jovial guy will squash down some dough, fill it with one of several options, and cook it until it becomes a pancake. So greasy, so delicious, so much fun. We were rather upset that Korean pancake did not open early enough for us to have the sweet option for breakfast, but alas, everyone needs some time off from work.

2. THE LIBRARY
Though most of you know us well enough to already know this fact, Ella and I are not exactly seekers of nightlife. It should be no surprise, then, to find out that Auckland became a city of great potential when we stumbled across the city's public library (on the next block from Korean Pancake, even!!). This library had everything- great colors, a nice layout, fantastic music section, free internet, and a very interesting exhibit on New Zealand's first major geologist. What's more is that attached to the library was a cafe that played generally good music where, for $4, you could have a mug of tea that probably had a sizable three cups in it. The tea was great, the banana chocolate chip muffins were to die for, and they were even open until 11:30 PM on the weekends (as if we would stay awake that late)!

1. THE WALKING MAN
Number one on the list for the sheer amount of time it entertained us is the walking man (and this probably tells you why we left Auckland after two days). The walk signal at some major intersections did not just say "walk" or have a person lit up in green to indicate that it was safe to walk. No no, this was so much more. The walk signal was ANIMATED. Yes, that's right, animated. The green man would stroll as though on a treadmill, never moving out of his little circle but constantly appearing to stroll forward while a noise sounded indicating it was safe to walk. The noise, for those of you that are musicians, resembled the sound someone makes when they're trying to teach someone how to double tongue on a wind instrument-- kind of a duh-guh-duh-guh sort of thing. Ella and I are still contemplating posting video examples, but I think we might refrain.

So, that's Auckland. We've moved on and have spent the past few days in a variety of locations, many resembling paradise, but I'll let Ella tell you a little more about that. Hope everyone is doing well, and as always, feel free to comment or e-mail!