first 48 amazing hours in NZ!

omg - is this place gorgeous! and you know what, jen and I aren't doing half bad with this whole no plans and just winging it thing. in fact, we have had two incredible days. we arrived yesterday morning way before the sun was even thinking about rising - close to 4:30 am. we caught a bus down to queen street in central auckland and to our hostel (my first). somehow we found our way down to the ferry building and after i downed two lattes and started feeling normal again we caught the ferry over to rangitoto island. it was covered in black volcanic rock and trees. we took a little tram tour up and then walked up about 350 stairs to the top. the most fantastic 360 degree views awaited us. we took many photos and relished in the part of the world that we are lucky enough to be in. after arriving back, we hopped on another bus to mission bay - this adorable part of town with cafes, a fountain and beach. really just a perfect first day. this morning we booked our magic bus tour that starts tomorrow morning and ends in the next week and a half or so in queenstown...it should be loads of fun! today we did the taste of waiheke tour which was unbelieveable. each winery was better than the next. the beaches were gorgeous and pretty much deserted. i love the mentality of the people here, the accents, the water, the vibe...