Kia Ora!

I learned a new phrase yesterday: "kia ora!" It can mean hello, thank you, blessings, or just about anything. "Kia ora" is a phrase that originated in the Maori tribe, a group of Polynesians that came to New Zealand generations ago. It literally means "be well."

As you might can tell, we spent most of yesterday in a museum - the Auckland Museum, to be exact. It was a perfect thing to do yesterday, since it allowed us to take things slowly and learn a little about this wonderful country we'll be visiting the next few days. We saw lots of great things there, such as:

a Maori cultural experience, which included native songs and dances. This is their big finale - a very intimidating war dance. I'd be scared if I was a new invader!


Lots of original (scary) tiki carvings







AND I got my picture made with a native (they have a thing for sticking their tongues out. It was an intimidation technique. I would've joined in the fun, but, according to the natives, "maidens" would NEVER stick out their tongues; instead, they would widen their eyes to help ward off enemies)

(P.S. the shirt I'm wearing actually belongs to Elaine, who so graciously allowed me to borrow it yesterday so that I could wear something besides the same green shirt I've been wearing for 3 days. It's from the Hard Rock Cafe, and it has Shakira's name on it! Awesome, right?)

We also saw some wildlife, like lizards and birds (LOTS of birds):



We'd had our fill of the museum, so Dave and I ventured out on the streets of Auckland, walking around and taking in the city.


This one is for Genay: Kentucky bourbon & coke in a can? A little piece of "home" here in Auckland. :)


We soon found a little place to eat on the water, that had excellent happy hour specials and a very nice waitstaff. The weather was perfect until it got a little chilly due to the wind coming off the water, but we certainly enjoyed the sunshine and warmth while we could. Dave even made some friends, taking pictures of other tourists:




We enjoyed a very tasty New Zealand beer, called Monteiths Original, as well as some tasty prawns and buttery garlic bread. It was a perfect afternoon!



I went to bed at 7 pm, almost immediately after we got home. Sleeping for 11 hours = priceless.

Other notes of interest from yesterday: getting in a car with the driver's side on the right, and driving on the opposite side of the road, is confusing, even if you're not the one driving. I promised not to name any names, but one of the people we are with rented a car to help us get around the city. On our way to the museum, the combination of the Tom Tom giving directions and being in a country where "left on red" is legal, provided several moments of "OHMIGODLOOKOUT!!!" and turning on the windshield wipers when one meant to switch on the turn signal. As I said, I won't name names, but the person driving did an excellent job getting us where we needed to go, safely, after only a few scary moments. :)

We also are in a city where it didn't really matter that we lost our luggage, because, to quote Elaine, people's fashion choices here in Auckland are "quite tragic." At least we fit right in, what with our rockstar t-shirts, running shoes, and borrowed hiking boots. You saw my awesome Shakira/Hard Rock Cafe shirt, but Dave wasn't immune to incredible fashion choices, as he picked up a spare shirt in LA that *could* pass for an off-brand Ed Hardy shirt (which, btw, were all over LAX).

However, an in the category of AWESOME news, our luggage has been found! It was all by itself in San Francisco, and it arrived at AKL this morning. It's currently on its way to our apartment! We cannot express how joyful we are to have flip flops, more clothes, and everything else we so carefully packed.

On deck for today is a ferry ride out to Waiheke Island for a day full of winery tours. We'll visit 4 different wineries and have lunch, then come back in time for dinner tonight at a Japanese restaurant with Mike, Elaine and one of their good friends. More pictures and stories are on the way!