Business and harbors

Photo's not yet uploaded - obviously:

I'm sitting in the hostel lounge, watching America's Next Top Model! Apparently America ships it's crappy TV overseas too. When I first arrived at the hostel, there were people in the lounge watching Dr. Phil!

Anyway, it was another beautiful day. Despite my late night I didn't sleep the day away. Over breakfast I talked with a couple from America and then I called IRD (Inland Revenue Department). All paperwork here in NZ is SO much easier than in the US. It's like the rules are just guidlines for them. I had to take a bus to get to the IRD department, but luckily I ran into the American couple on my way out and they told me about a website to find exactly what bus to take to get to your destination (think mapquest for bus routes).

The bus ride took about an hour. I disembarked at a mall and had no idea where I was. I decided to walk through the mall before asking for directions. I saw a sign for a carpark off of the street I was looking for. Sweet. So I went out and figured I'd worry about finding the cross street when I was a bit further from the mall. Imagine my surprise when I finished passing the outdoor restaurants and came face to face the IRD building! Super Sweet!

I decided to browse a bookstore on my back through the mall. I was quite surprised when I set off their theft alarm when I walked in! The cashier was nice about it and told me to come on in. I couldn't find a good star book. The one I have at home isn't great, but I wouldn't mind having it now. I found a book or two I could send to my mom, but not for $25 or $39. Sorry mom, your just not worth it ;) I also considered buying some wildlife/plant guidebooks but didn't want to spend the money or carry the book around while tramping. So when I went to leave the store, without buying anything, I stopped at the cashiers and apologized for the upcoming beeper going off and then swore that I did not steal any books. To all of our surprises, the beeper didn't go off this time. Wierd.

I rode the return bus to the very end of the line - the Britomart. Wierd name huh? It's a transportation depot for trains, buses, and ferries. So I decided to explore a part of the city I hadn't seen yet. I walked down the ferry terminal to the Maritime Museum. On the way, I came across these bags of art. Quite interesting. I didn't actually go into the museum. I'm sure it's very interesting museum, but not worth $16 to me. So I looked at the beautiful sailboats and yachts lining the docks. On the other side of the harbor were the working boats. I loved seeing this blue fishing boat. I'm afraid the AK doesn't stand for Alaksa though; I couldn't find an American flag on it :( On my way back down I saw this guy climbing his boats mast and saw it was in perfect composition with the sky tower.

I took a self portrait on my down the harbor, the sky tower is in the background. After further wandering I found the art museum. It was a small exhibit, since they are gearing up for a contemporary Maori art display, but it was still interesting. Next I wandered through a park, where I found a bunch of mushrooms growing in a magnoia tree. I also saw a black bird and a native rodent, but the images turned out kind of fuzzy :(

It was a good day, but I am exhausted. I'm not real sure why. I haven't been walking around that much! Although, I must be really getting some exercise. Many of my leg muscles are sore and my shoulders feel bruised from carrying my laptop everywhere (it may not be as heavy as my real pack, but it's good training the the shoulders). Guess I should eat some dinner and head to bed - but first, who's going to get eliminated from Am. Next Top Model??????