AND SO IT BEGINS:
We were up and at um packing up and having a great breakfast at Tuck Stop. Smashed avocado, pesto, feta and fresh tomatoes. We made the one block journey to our new lodging at the Park Hyatt.
At the Hyatt we got signed in with the Adventures By Disney (ABD) folks and our luggage was checked with bell services. As expected, the room was not ready, so we went for a walkabout on the water front. Lunch was at Good George Brewery where we had their fish and chips as they are excellent. As we finished lunch , we received a msg that our room was ready. Our room here is very nice, too nice for us.
We got settled in and soon it was time for our first group dinner. A nice fun meal getting to meet the others in our group.
Tuesday February 25, 2025.
Up early as usual, catching up on some tasks etc.
Breakfast here at the Park Hyatt was very nice with a whole bunch of choices. With the large plates when ordered, were more than ample. Hint, if you every stay here the chocolate milk is great. I had pancakes and they were good with a hint of corn meal.
After breakfast we were bussed to the Main Course Cooking school. This cooking school is housed in the old Gas Utility building across from Victory Park. We received an orientation to the items we would be preparing and then were broken into groups at several different stations. I will add the menu we prepared when I receive it via email. It was all very good as it was our lunch.
The school is located in the Auckland Gas Building across from Victoria Park. I mention is again and it is a very very kewl building. The cooking school's pantry is the old vault with a hevy steel door.
After lunch we went back to the hotel for a 20 min break to get things together for an Americas Cup Sailing Experience.
Here we boarded two Americas Cup racing boats, which had raced in the Americas Cup in different years.
We motored in the harbor and then manned the grinders and raised the sails and we were off under wind power. This is interactive and yes we did man the grinders and, at times and took the helm. Having sailed in the past this was very enjoyable and I felt the same for others experiencing wind power for the first time.
Back on shore we had a break before loading up being bussed to the Auckland Zoo for an after hours experience.
Auckland Zoo:
An after-hours event. This currently offered on Thursday evenings but we are here on a Tuesday. I think our experience was a bit different than the public offering.
We were greeted by a group of Maori Dancers who introduced us to Maori traditions, dance and song, and Yes the Haka.
What was nice is several of the Zoo’s interpreters accompanied us, giving us greater insight into the critters we encountered. I was most interested in seeing a tuatara. The tuatara is a native New Zealand animal that is sometimes called the "three-eyed baby dragon”.
Yes often called a living fossil. The infant tuatara have a third eye which aids them in finding food. The tuatara is the sole ambassador for an entire order of reptiles which is a big responsibility. They are separated from iguanas as they have serated teeth.
In New Zealand there is really only two native spices of mammals. The New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat and the New Zealand long-tailed bat are the two existing terrestrial mammal species unique to New Zealand. We did not see any of these at the zoo.
Our walk ended at the Elephant House. The Old Elephant House is an original Zoo building established in 1922. It was converted into a restaurant where were were served a very nice meal.
Tuatara, KEWL!!!
This is a great zoo, good interpreters and great efforts to protect and educate. One could spend a day easily at this zoo.
After dinner we were bused back to the hotel and we started to get ready for tomorrows journey to see the Glow Worm Caves.
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