Football, Soccer, and a School yard Brawl

I went to my first Rugby Match today. It was Auckland versus Northland in the quarter finals of the Air New Zealand Cup. As far as I can tell, rugby is sort of a cross between football, soccer, and a school yard brawl or, to put it in CARPS terms, its like Orc ball with fewer rules. I think I started to understand the basics by the end of the game. Auckland lost by 5 which was a major upset. They were expected to walk all over Northland. It was loads of fun and I will probably go to a semi final game next weekend. The tickets were only NZ$10 which included the train ticket to and from the stadium.

Pictures of Auckland

First of all, I am sorry for not updating this blog as much as I would like. I am paying a pretty hefty fee for internet access so I have only been online a few times. In my last post I promised some pictures of Auckland so here they are.

This is a picture of Sky tower. It is the main landmark in the city. It is sort of like Seattle’s space needle but not as tall. One cool thing though is that you can go to the top, strap on a harness, and walk all the way around the tower on a catwalk. Also, if you look closely on the left hand side of the picture you will see a cable. That cable goes all the way up to the catwalk at the top of the tower. You can jump off of the tower and plummet down the cable. A second bungee/cable is hooked to your back to slow your ascent. I wanted to try it yesterday but it was too windy when I went to sign up. I will try to do it
this week.

This is a picture of the cinema at Sky city. I went to see “Eagle Eye” on IMAX. It was really good. The cinema is 9 screens on two floors. There is also an arcade, a pool hall, a game store, and three restaurants inside. The big thing here that people get when the see a movie, besides popcorn, is something called a chocotop. It is basically a two scoop version of a “Drumstick”. I didn’t try one because I had just eaten….next time.

Here is a picture of the sky line from Albert park. The park is really nice but it is up a nasty hill. The thing I am learning quickly about Auckland is that it is built on mountains. I have done a lot of uphill walking.

Here is a picture of some street art. It reminded me of Ann Arbor. It is the first one I have seen but I am keeping my eye out. There is also A LOT of graffiti around town. Some of it is really good but most of it is just tags.

I have arrived safely in Auckland. I will post some pictures in my next post. The last day and a half have been quite busy. I have walked miles and miles and am still suffering from a major case of Jet lag. I remember looking at the length of my flight, 13 hours, and thinking how long of a time that is to be on an airplane but once the flight got under way it seemed MUCH LONGER. I will write more later.

LAX

I just spent four hours on a plane from Chicago to Los Angeles. When we landed and I got off the plane I thought to myself "Thank god that flight is over. It seemed like it took forever." Then I realized that my next flight is THREE TIMES longer....man this is going to be a hell of a day.

So, after a brief four hour flight I have arrived in LA. I had to wait an hour for a shuttle bus to come pick me up and take me from the American Airlines terminal to the International Terminal. LAX is probably the worst airport I have been in so far. The word Chaos comes to mind. It doesnt seem like anyone knows where to go, and that includes the people who work here. I was planning on exploring the airport during my four hour layover but I think I am going to stay right at my gate and listen to the White Sox vs Twins baseball game (I love wireless internet). I cant beleive I am about to say this but.....GO SOX!

It has begun

Well, it has begun, my epic journey to the other side of the world. I am currently waiting at O’hare airport for my flight to LAX. They have changed the flight time three times this week and have now changed the gate twice. Its like they are trying to get rid of me but I am more crafty than the airline expected. I will write another update when I get to LA. I have a five hour layover there so I will have plenty of time to write. Back to my Cream Cheese Brownie.