My birthday in Auckland, NZ

The odd part about being a day ahead of my friends and family was it didn't feel like my birthday.

The forecast was calling for a midday storm, so we planned accordingly and walked to the Auckland War Memorial, this time appreciating the statues and sights along the way. The walk from our hotel to The Domain took us through the campus of the University of Auckland -- New Zealand's largest university. We noticed it was extremely quiet for what we think of as the beginning of the semester. We soon learned it was their spring break. 

We used a bridge to cross a major highway and ended up at the foot of The Domain. There was an enclosed grassy area where they went bowling -- clearly not what I think of when I hear the word bowling -- no smoke-filled dark room with wooden floors and ten pins.

The trip continued through an uphill sculpture garden. Prior to our trip, I had not given the topography of New Zealand and Australia any thought. Auckland is built on former volcanos (let's hope they stay dormant), which makes it very hilly. The park is built on a volcano that was active 140,000 years ago. In 1880 220 acres were set aside for recreational use. That decade they used the pond to test out exotic fish and plant species, which were then used in their botanical garden. The volcanos crater is used as an amphitheater. It is a lush oasis in the middle of a city. On the midweek day we were there we saw kids playing sports, families walking around, and wildlife wandering. It was a lovely Spring day.

We were early for the War Memorial, so we walked around Wintergardens -- two large glasshouses opened in 1913, one housing temperate plants, the other with tropical plants. The gardener was watering the temperate plants and talking about what was in bloom and what he planned to rotate to showcase what is currently in bloom. This was the beginning of us seeing flowers we don't normally see in New Jersey. 

Some pictures of the grounds and flowers. The wintergardens and grounds were free to walk around. It seemed to be the pausing grounds for those, like us, who were a little too early to go into the War Memorial.

Behind the glasshouses was a tropical rainforest filled with ferns and birds. It was easy to feel as if we had been transported out of the city.

Though it isn't even 10 am, I'll stop here with us walking the few hundred yards to the Auckland War Memorial. It is worthy of its own post.