City of Sails

Hello from downunder!

I've had my first two days in hot, sunny Auckland. After a good night's rest (preceded by a whopping 36 hours of travel!), the city seemed a much pleasanter and more enjoyable place. Yesterday ended in a bright red sunburn, a somewhat lonely Julia and some very achy feet.

I walked all day today, starting from my lovely hostel on a hill and traversing the oldest neighborhood of the city until I found the bustling downtown area. After a lovely stroll down Queen Street, Auckland's upscale shopping district, I meandered back towards the water. I've noticed that all of my walks have ended up at various parts of the harbor- the upscale yacht clubs in my neighborhood, the pier with the ferry terminal downtown, the docks of the sleek racing yachts... Beautiful sailboats cut across the harbor on aggressive tacks, catching the breeze and skimming across the turquoise water. Tomorrow I'll take a ferry across the harbor to meet up with Bahati, a sailboat from Maine, and its friendly crew from Freeport. It sounds like we'll be taking it for a test run to a nearby island for the night as it's just been relaunched. Can't wait to be on the water!