a little photoshop puts us in the scene together

today we (twiddle thumbs + 2 flatmates) did the free auckland day trip offered by kiwi experience. the weather this morning was pretty shitty so we'll have to take the trip again. the driver just wings it. the itinerary depends on whether those in the bus have already been to someplace or not. as such, we ended up doing what the brochure describes: arataki visitor centre in the waitakere ranges. we did a short walk around the bush trails. we didn't get much of a view due to the rain/fog but on a clear day you get an excellent 360 degree view of the auckland area.

the silver fern

koru (baby fern)

then we stopped for a moment to feed the ducks at western springs park (which we passed by yesterday when we went to the zoo). actually, they fed the ducks so the eels could feed on the ducks. strange to see eels in the wild like that. then spend a few minutes on the top of mt. eden and was barely able to see one tree hill due to the rain/fog.

distance to california... but what is it in miles?

enjoying a drink on my throne of ice

the trip ended with a drink at minus 5, a bar made completely of ice, even the cups. it normally costs $25 to get (1 drink included) but it's only $15 with the kiwi experience. the bar provides big jackets, gloves, and shoes. but no pants are provided. i was wearing shorts! it's minus 5 C in the bar and you only get 30 minutes. it wasn't so bad except that my face started to freeze off. a 30 minute limit is for your own safety!

at the start of the trip, we stopped at a bakery for food. kiwi experience provided hot tea and coffee. i think it's a great little trip worth checking out. the driver was going to take us to the north shore area to check out devonport and the tunnels that are there from WWI. he said that they'll probably go there from now on. he used to take people to piha beach but the roads are too crazy to get there.