Islandhopping ;)

It is so nice having a long weekend! The three days passed by so quickly. On Satuday I went with Tanja to Waiheke Island by ferry. Already the ferry trip is just amazing but once you arrive on the island, you feel like your in another country. Waiheke Island (Maori:The long,sheltering island) consist of several little villages and there actually live people. And I guess, they live in paradise. White beaches, little bays, cristal clear water and streets full of little cafes are what add up to the laid-back atmosphere. We had a look at several of these villages, strolled over a tiny but wonderful Satuday market, but most of the time we spent on Onetangi Beach. No, we weren't just laying in the sun doing nothing. We actively used our English by chatting a lot :) and we somehow leapt back into our childhood collecting arms full of shells, especially the broken pieces of the pauashell. The amazing thing was, that even on a popular weekend like this, the beaches were not crowded and we easily found some spots for our own. At around six we looked for a nice restaurant and we were both completely happy with choosing a nice fish restaurant. After dinner, to support our digestion, we walked down to the wharf where we could enjoy the seafront before we caught the ferry back to downtown. And this trip is just unforgettable. We chose the perfect time to set back as the sun set behind the skyline of Auckland. I never thought, that a city can be so beautiful. My pictures are better than on postcards! On Sunday I went to church in the morning before I went to Auckland Domain, where I studied with the nice background music of a live Jazz band. In moment like these, I really like the city as everybody comes out of their houses (and televisions),sitting on camping chairs, letting their children play and simply enjoy the day. Later on I met Tanja again and we went together to the wharf were the 175th anniversairy of Auckland was celebrated. It was a really nice festival but already around six o'clock, there was not much more going on and so we walked to Parnell, a really nice part of Auckland, where we had a delicious Indian dinner. And than it was already Monday. Time for me to explore Rangitoto, another Island, this time on my own and without any civilisation on the island itself. As I try to save some money I wanted to catch the earliest ferry at 7.30 am to get the early bird fare. The thing I didn't think of was, that the regular busses didn't run. So I ended up in another bus which stopped at Parnell at 7.21, so I had to run in nine minutes down to the wharf, a distance of 1.9 km. I still can't believe that I managed it, as I am really not fit anymore. But where there's a will there's a way. Once on the island (already completely exhausted of my morning run), I walked up Mount Rangitoto, which is a young volcano. The crater and the view over Hauraki Gulf is just stunning but the little bays I went to explore later on were even better. On my way, which was probably a little bit to long, considered the heat absorbed from the black volcanic stones and the fact that the last ferry leaves at 5 pm, I took a few swims in my private bays. There was literally no-one! With a little final spurt,I got on the ferry back to Auckland. Since then I am incredibly tired and I'm afraid I had a little bit too much sun...