Fun Fun Fun

Yesterday I went to the Auckland Museum which is located in the Auckland Domain. It is the subtropical equivalent of forest park and the AM is like all of the Smithsonian's squished into one. Their displays were very good, although there "the museum revealed" exhibit which showed how the displays come about was in creepy red lighting and had a whispering sound effect that just plain old freaked me out! But the sections on Nations of the south pacific was really great and the war memorial on the top floor was totally interesting. It is great to hear about the NZ perspective on WWI and II as well as the local military history.
So, I went over to the island of Rangitoto, which is a 30 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland. Rangitoto is a volcanic island that formed approximately 600 years ago. It is very rough terrain with only one black sand beach, but is is really pretty and has spectacular views of the bay from the top. There were also some sweet lava caves that I got to explore (check the pics). I have spent the rest of the day chatting with other travellers who have great advice and suggestions and just really interesting people. It is fun to hear about what inspired them to travel and where they came from. Oh and to finish off this entry I am adding a little Christmas cheer below!