Auckland, New Zealand I: Sunset on Mount Eden

Having thought about going to New Zealand for as long as I can remember, I finally decided to just buy a ticket, pack and go!

The AirBus driver forgot to tell me where to alight so I ended up with a 'free' tour of the city centre. He dropped me off near my hostel on his way back to the airport. I booked two hostels for Auckland, one pretty far from the city center, another one in the middle of it. I decided to do so because the first hostel was close to One Tree Hill and Mount Eden so I could explore them before heading to the city centre.The hostel is located in a residential area and the neighbourhood was so tranquil and quaint! I adore the houses here, they are mostly Victorian bungalows (at least in my non-architect eyes).

I went to the supermarket and bought some oats, raisins, strawberries and milk for breakfast the next day. I bought a sandwich and headed off to Mount Eden. I think I chose a very deserted route up, but it was the nearest way from where I was. The view on top was really worth the walk (which wasn't that much actually) but it was chilly up there. There's a huge crater in the middle which is 50 metres deep. The volcano erupted from two craters 28,000 years ago. I couldn't capture the whole crater because it was so large and I have got no bird's eye view so here's one side of the crater..

I had a great time munching on my sandwich, looking over skyline of Auckland and waiting for the sun to set. However, it got colder and colder... The wind was howling and I was really envious of the people who were waiting for the sunset comfortably in the warmth of their cars.

SEE why I love sunsets? It is so gorgeous and breath-taking every time I see it from a different place. The sky turned a lovely shade of pink, purple and then orange. Ah~~ The cold was worth it. The cold never bothered me anyway. I wanted to wait a while more for the nightview of the city but I realised that my path back down to the main road has no street lamps, so I had to hurry down before it became completely dark and I made it just in time.

Goodnight Auckland.