It seems like everyone I've ever spoken to who'd been to New Zealand has said the same thing - this was one of the most beautiful places in the world, with the nicest people. I tried not to set expectations because I figured they can't all be right, but they were. Whatever expectations I didn't set were far exceeded.

I felt like I stepped off the boat into a city that was a little bit of London, Seattle and San Francisco all rolled into one. There were sailboats everywhere as far as the eye could see, white sheep on every green patch of land, quaint houses, and water and islands all around. Everyone was quick to say hello, smile and befriend you, and the laid back vibe just made it that much more of a place I'd like to be. The weather was just transitioning from Spring to Summer and the sunny blue sky days made everything seem and feel like a postcard.

I ended up staying in Auckland longer than I thought I would. Once the guys on the sailboat discovered I wasn't a typical college-kid-backpacking-traveling-stowaway, the owner of the boat (who also happens to be a wealthy private investor) enlisted my help for some modeling and presentations on some investments and business ideas he was working on. It was definitely an unexpected twist of events, and I was happy to do it - the projects were pretty interesting, there was no stress, there was an end date, and I didn't work that hard. But, I have to admit it was a bit surreal to find myself commuting to work each morning on a bus, with a laptop and cell phone in hand... in New Zealand. My workday attire was definitely more "beach-y vagabond" than "yuppie working woman" -- my concept of packing light didn't include a work clothes contingency. Who would have thought I'd be doing powerpoint and excel on my self-imposed break from powerpoint and excel??!

I've become a cafe junkie. There seem to be cafes on every corner and while NZ has its fair share of Starbucks, I loved the fact that most cafes were independent/individual with its own character. Learning to communicate with NZ baristas in Kiwi coffee lingo was a hoot - flat white, short black, long black?? Whatever you called them and however they were served, the lattes were some of the best I've ever had. The cafe culture really lets you to slow down and just take your time sipping and sitting - I did a lot of journal writing, staring off into space, and people watching from the sidewalks of Ponsonby Road...

Continuing on the sailing theme, I was fortunate to be in town for the Coastal Classic, a pretty big/popular sailing race from Auckland to the town of Russell in the Bay of Islands. Antaeus of course was entered and it seemed like the entire city was racing in the event! I went along for a "test drive" with the crew the night before the race. Watching them change huge sails and direction numerous times at the drop of a hat was pretty intense stuff, between hauling the new one out, dropping the old one, changing the ropes, etc. Sitting on the rail (the high side of the boat when it's heeled over) was my contribution to the effort - I felt like I was on a carnival ride. What fun stuff - talk about teamwork and adrenalin.

The start of the race was a magnificent sight. There were about 400 boats of all shapes and sizes milling around the harbor to time their starts. I was amazed at the control the sailors had of their big boats, especially when there were so many everywhere and they were just inches away from each other. A huge cannon next to me on the wharf went off with numerous bangs and suddenly all the chaos made sense - boats were now all pointed and sailing in the same direction and huge spinnakers were all going up. The colors, synchronization, and backdrop of the city made for some amazing Kodak moments.

I was hitching back to Auckland on Antaeus after the race, so the 10-20 hours it usually took for the boats to finish was a great opportunity for me to drive up the island to Russell and sightsee along the way. I had a fun time exploring in a friend's little red convertible. Driving on the "other" side of the road was a new thing for me, and thankfully I only got confused once! The shock of a car coming right at me with flashing headlights was all it took to get me onto the "right" side of the road.

I oohed and aahed as I zigzagged my way up the coast. On one side of the car would be green green grassy hills and knolls covered with sheep and cows and cute houses, and on the other side of the car would be beautiful sandy beaches, islands, and the vast blue ocean. I passed through lots of little towns that were made up of one grocery store cum gas station cum post office and one pub. Quaint is the only word I can think of to describe it.

I stopped in Tutukaka to go scuba diving at NZ's most famous dive site - the Poor Knights Marine Reserve. It should have dawned on me that being in a country that's an island in the middle of the Pacific and that's pretty close to Antartica meant that it would be diving like I probably have never done before... If I didn't realize it beforehand, I sure as heck knew it as I was putting on my 5mm wetsuit and hood and gloves and boots - it was going to be COLD. Jumping into the water was absolutely shocking. I only hoped that whatever there was to see down there would be worth the freezing numbness that was taking over my body... There was pretty cool stuff - big schools of huge red snapper, lots of stingrays, scorpion fish, enormous kelp - but I was happy when I was dry and sipping my tea on the deck, heading back to the dive shop. I think I'll stick to the warm water.

Russell was the first capital of New Zealand and is a cute sailing/fishing village that could have been plucked from a New England postcard. By the time I got there, the race had finished, about 300 boats were anchored in the harbor, and all the sailors were in the pub. The big awards party for the yachties thrown by Lindauer champagne made for interesting people watching. I think the Kiwis could give the Aussies a good run for the money in their appreciation of beer. The revelry continued long into the night, but by the time I wandered up on deck the next morning, there were a lot less boats floating around us. The ocean was a highway of sailboats all heading home to Auckland.

After reading a great book on Captain Cook and his travels (Blue Latitudes by Tony Horowitz - such a great read!), I was excited to see the places Cook first laid eyes on when he discovered NZ in the 1700s. We covered most of the east coast of the north island and "toured" Captain Cook monuments along the way - Hick's Bay, Horsehoe Bay, Young Nick's Head. I don't think anyone really knows what Cook looked like because he looked like a different person in every spot.

East Cape was one of the neatest places I visited. After a 21 km drive down a desolate and windy gravel road, and a 1,000-step climb up a hill through the bush, I arrived at a lighthouse that marked the very eastern tip of New Zealand. What a cool feeling to be standing where the sun first rises in the world.

Weather is such a fickle thing in NZ, but you gotta love it. I woke up one morning to a gray and cloudy sky. The sun came out during my morning latte. Hail came down before I left the cafe, and the sun was back before lunch. They say if you don't like the weather in NZ, stick around because it's bound to change...

Before I knew it, my friend Erin and I were on the Picton ferry crossing the Cook Straight headed to the south island. We had a lot of activities planned and were excited for what was in store for us down south. I'd heard so many amazing things, but couldn't imagine how much more beautiful it could get. Little did I know then what I know now! :)

More on that to come.

Hope you've been enjoying the entries and keep on emailing!
Judy