Day 1 - Arrive in Auckland

We arrived in Auckland this morning, exhausted as none of us had slept for as long as we had hoped to on the flight.  After the usual routine of baggage collection, immigration and customs, we collected our Camry and drove out into Auckland.  We stayed near the airport for our planned shopping trip, which was surprisingly familiar as we grocery shopped at Countdown (NZ's version of Woolworths) and bought an Esky from Bunnings. 

Once away from the commercial area around the airport and the motorways, the west side of Auckland struck us as quite rural. Lots of narrow, windy roads and large undeveloped areas between village-like shopping districts rather than suburban centres.  Luckily, given our lack of sleep, our only mission for the day was to visit the Crystal Mountain museum.  This was largely for Liam's benefit, but we were all impressed by the huge crystal formations and geodes.  

Our lovely hosts at the Titirangi Clifftop were generous enough to allow an early check-in, so Colin, Liam and I took the opportunity for a much needed afternoon nap.  Not surprisingly, given its name, our accommodation for the next two nights is a cosy cottage right on the cliff-top of Titirangi Beach with an amazing view out over the bay.   This evening, we have been for a big walk through the winding roads and steeply descending bush track to Titirangi Beach, where we played on the swings, then ascended via the aptly named zig-zag track and followed the road back to our cottage.