The Longest Saturday Ever

The plan for Saturday was to check something off of our NZ must do list (see right column) seeing as we had been engulfed with buying cars and getting work for the rest of the week.  We decided on the black sand beach Piha on the west coast.  We make our way out west on the motorways and once in the vicinity of the beach find ourselves on winding roads.  Not just any winding roads, these were so convoluted that I couldn't tell you which direction we were driving or where we had come from...but then again I am the directionally impaired one of the group.

We finally break out to the beach and have to pull over to take some scenic pictures.

Now as you can tell from this picture, weather was not ideal.  In fact it had been pouring and raining for our entire drive out to the beach.  We find parking at the beach front and get out to find the sun is just breaking through...what timing!

We wander the beach for a bit and then begin to climb Lion rock (the big one on the left of the photo above).  After a short hike we sit and eat our packed lunch and enjoy the scenery. 

 

                    

We climb back down and walk up and down the beach and then decide to go to the next beach, just south of the Piha.  This one took a little more work to reach, crossing raging rivers (not really raging) and perilous sand dunes (not really perilous) until it opened up into beach and we found a place to sit and observe.  

On the way back we discovered a half buried hut and decided it was too good of a photo opportunity to pass up.

We make our way back home so that Anna and Jackie can go to work for their last "trial" night. Several hours later, I venture on my way into Aukland to meet up with the girls seeing as we have planned to go out afterwards.  At 11:15 when I arrive at La Zeppa, I am informed that they are nowhere near done and so I leave to explore downtown Aukland a bit.  In my hour of time wasting I was accompanied down the street by an older gentleman inquiring as to what I was doing that night, observed the "Turkish" security guard we had met the other night at the wharf tell two attractive women he was from Austria, got a high five from a passerby, and talked to two young gentlemen who were waiting on their friend, and then received the text from the working waitresses that they were done.

I joined them all at the restaurant and we enjoyed some drinks with their coworkers celebrating two birthdays.  After we were kicked out of La Zeppa we headed to K road (the happening place on Saturday nights) and went to a gay bar called "Family". 

Our new friends/coworkers

Now keep in mind we got to this bar at about 2:30am, so it was only logical that we would stay till 5:30am.  After, as we found our way back to Queen St. we encountered several boisterous groups of people one of which commented on the fact we were American, and what else should ensue but a debate about which football team will win the Superbowl? 

Our night ended in Burger King where we acquired various greasy treats, used the bathroom and had some intense conversations with fellow late night (early morning) clubbers. As we left, the sun was on its way up and we made our way to the wharf to catch the 7am ferry and make our way home. Quite the night.

Sunrise from the Wharf

Cheers,

Alissa, Anna and Jackie