March 17

We bid a farewell to our last campsite and knew that our New Zealand portion of this wonderful experience would soon be coming to an end. We had a great four hour trip to Auckland and turned in our van. After checking into our hotel, we ventured to the Viaduct Harbour. Lots of green on this day as we strolled along the streets. Just had to stop in and say a prayer at St. Patrick's Cathedral! Ellen and I got front open window bar seats to watch the revelers as we drank and had tapas. After a while, we checked out the Sky Tower and made reservations for dinner which also included the observation deck. The nighttime view of Auckland was magnificent and pictures don't do it justice. Our revolving dinner venue, Orbit Restaurant, was also a highlight to our first night in this city.