From Rotorua we drove to Auckland. On the way we stopped at Waitomo Caves where we spent a few hours hiking through huge limestone caves. We also took a boat in pitch darkness through a cave to see millions of glowworms.

Then on to Auckland. Auckland is a real city. Christchurch and Wellington were jokes, but Auckland is the real deal. We arrived on a Friday night and the city was buzzing with life. Lots of young people going out to restaurants, bars, clubs. Auckland is very similar to Sydney with a sky tower and harbour bridge. It's another beautiful city on the water.

In Auckland I went to Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter. I saw Gentoo and King Penguins in a simulated Antarctic world just like March of the Penguins. They have 700 pound sting rays, the same kind that killed Steve Irwin, and they were feeding them by hand. They also have an underwater tunnel where you can see sharks and other animals up close.

I went to the Auckland Museum where I saw more Maori cultural artifacts and the War Memorial. I loved the sections that discussed how New Zealand was formed from the volcanos, glaciers, earthquakes, etc.

Finally time to return home. Unfortunately there was a mechanical problem with our plane and we were delayed 12 hours in Auckland. We were provided a hotel and dinner, but it was still an absolutely horrible 12 hours. I expected Air New Zealand to be better than the american airlines but they aren't. They treated us like shit and there was nothing we could do about it. *sigh* I hate flying.