The first days

Well we are into our 2nd day here in Auckland! This is such a neat town. It's very hilly which was a surprise and extremely lush even in the middle of winter. Everywhere you walk there is a beautiful flowering bush or a Lord of the Rings inspired wicked looking tree or an exotic tropical plant. The temp stayed in the 50's yesterday but with the humidity level the wind was bone chilling in the shade. Our hotel is fabulous and the best part is we're up on the 19th floor so the view is incredible. To the left the famous sky needle peers over the buildings and straight out ahead and to the right is the Waitemata Harbor dotted with sailboats and surrounded by hilly land covered by homes. Yesterday we strolled through the city centre which contained all kinds of shopping, cafes, banks etc then made our way over to the inner suburb called Parnell which has been a standout as a potential area for our permanent residence. It was up on a hill with amazing views of the water and a long (HILLY!) street filled with art galleries, super cute restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping. Today we need to fetch our new wheels after we summon the courage to drive it on the "wrong" side of the road. I hope to catch a ferry across the harbor over to Devonport which is another standout for permanent digs. More soon!! We miss and love you all so much!!