Woke up at literally 7am and the place was like dead. Okay, maybe life in Singapore is really too stressful. Anyway I couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I'd start a walk to Mount Eden. Mount Eden is the highest peak in Auckland City and it took me over an hour of walk to get there. Could have taken the bus but this weather is far too nice not to walk. Weather is so nice that it started drizzling sporadically.
By drizzle I mean rain so light that wetness isn't even felt. Like dayum son. Drizzle in Singapore drenches you. Drizzle in NZ is well, vapour. Walked past this little cafe by the side of the road and I knew breakfast was calling out to me when the fragrance flows right to my face.
It was NZD9.50 for the sandwich and NZD3.50 for the coffee. The cafe was a really nice little cafe (sadly no pictures as I was too hungry) and I played some rain music while I ate. Literally the best feeling I can ever ask for in a rainy weather!
Two years, two whole years in the army, and this is the first time I'm finally treating myself to a good life. What an achievement!!! The sun came out after that so I continued my way to Mount Eden. Walked out beyond the city centre and into a more residential area.
So apparently the weather isn't looking very good when I was at the base of the mountain. But me being me, just screwed it and carried on up the mountain. Took me like 10 minutes up. Unbelievable, no kick. But the view wasn't very nice because of the rain.
There was nothing on top either. Just a boring volcano crater covered with grass all over the place. There was a landmark indicating that that's the highest point. Other than the blurry scenic view of the city, there was literally nothing else.
Made my way down when it started raining like mad, only for the sun to come out when I reach the bottom. Seriously, New Zealand weather is really really unpredictable. One minute raining, another minute sunny, the only constant being the cold wind that blows non-stop.
Walked past this little park which looks and feels more like an attraction than Mount Disappointment. There was a fountain and workers who greeted anyone that walks past them. It's amazing how many little parks there are in this most expensive city of New Zealand. So many quiet little spots to just chill and relax!
Second part of the day is visiting the harbour. Went back to the hostel to put down my sling bag (because I find walking without it much lighter) and change to some shorts (because long pants suck in rain). Walked to the bigger Countdown supermarket by the harbour to get some beer, only to be rejected because I forgot to bring my identification. Seriously, half an hour walk there for nothing.
No choice, I literally walked another half an hour back to the hostel to take my passport. On the return trip to the supermarket, I passed by this sushi shop and my stomach growled.
Expensive as it may be (NZD13.50), it was a pretty nice lunch. With my stomach happy, I went back to the supermarket to get my beer. Got this beer for NZD10. Couldn't find a bottle opening so I went to some random construction site and used a piece of metal to break the cap. Some glass got chipped off with it. With sharp glass edges threatening to slit my lips, I drank with utmost caution while headed to the pier.
The pier/harbour was a very unique place. Many tourists were there and even though it's slightly dripping water from the sky, people are still walking around! Visited Silo Park and it was very very windy!!! There were old train tracks everywhere and me loving trains a lot, that was something nice for me to see.
The edge of the pier itself was pretty nice, strong winds are the best! The place was also very lively with a lot of restaurants and cafes filled with people having their lunch. Wanted to visit this super long bridge but a bit lazy after walking so many hours. So I took a shot of it in my background instead.
After that, I decided to walk around a little bit more and then head back into the city. There was this little park behind a kindergarten which was surprisingly quiet and chill. I literally sat there for like an hour just chilling and relaxing. Little kids were playing everywhere and the sun was shining bright.
Also visited some music shops in Auckland CBD to satisfy my finger fretboarding needs. The guitars here are actually way more expensive than Singapore's, no surprise given the isolated location of New Zealand. Have no expectations of getting a guitar here anyway (or so I thought).
Halfway through trying out guitars, I had a stomachache emergency. Real sad thing about Auckland's streets is, I can't seem to identify the shopping malls from the other kinds of shops. The buildings are so similar that I had a hard time finding public toilets. Thankfully, there was a Subway which had just that one toilet.
Bottled water are at NZD1 per 1.5L so that's not too bad. Do note, the gummy bears are gonna be a staple because I hate the fact that I have to find a bin for chewing gums! Stayed inside the hostel for the rest of the night because well, there is really nothing much to see in this city. Already can't wait to visit Hamilton tomorrow.
Click here for Day 3!
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