26.

Our first full day in Auckland! I have managed to get behind a few days on my blogging, so these next two will serve as catch up posts. I will try to fit in all the wonderful things I have discovered about the beautiful country of New Zealand. Our first full day was Sunday here in the land of the kiwis. First, for those of you who don't know, New Zealanders are affectionately called "kiwis" in this part of the world. They are named after the kiwi bird, who is (again) affectionately deemed a kiwi due in large part that it looks like....you guessed it: a kiwi. Creative, I know. I have yet to see one. Fingers crossed.

We awoke early Sunday morning in hopes of hiking Mt. Eden. However, the weather had something else in mind. Due to a dreary, rainy morning we decided to postpone our hike and instead go to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. There, we had a "Maori Experience", in which local Maori people performed their traditional songs and dances and taught us a bit about their indigenous culture and how they live in the modern world. Honestly, I didn't expect much. I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the music and dancing and the presentation was short, sweet, and informative. We also visited around the museum and spent a large part of our time in the exhibit featuring the All Blacks, New Zealand's famous rugby team who is a Maori team (although-confusingly-you don't have to be Maori to play for the All Blacks) and won the Rugby World Cup last year. They are a team unlike any other sports team in the world, rich in culture and indigenous tradition. So much so that they even preform their native song/chant before and after every game.

After the museum and Maori Experience, we headed into the city for an excellent lunch and a bit of exploring. I have already found that the food is slightly more reasonably priced (at least the exchange rate is finally in our favor) and it so far has all been delicious. More to come.