Middle Earth Adventures

McCrain's in Middle Earth
A travel dialogue of our adventures in New Zealand

In February 2004, Jim and Kathy McCrain began a five month oddessy in New Zealand. Kathy was transferred to Auckland for a temporary work assignment, and Jim followed her for moral support. (Isn't he just the greatest husband?) What follows is Jim's account of this adventure.

Day Three: Exploration

March 13, 2004.

This morning, Kathy and I got up and headed out for a “play date.” We started the day with a ferry ride from Takapuna Beach over to Auckland City. Kathy showed great skill in navigating and driving us to the ferry dock. Remember, she is having to drive on the LEFT side of the road!

Once we got to Auckland, we found a quaint little place to eat. Kathy ordered a breakfast with bacon and sausage. I ordered pancakes and fruit. What a surprise when we got the two plates! Kathy, who likes a “little” meat with breakfast was faced with a platter of eggs and toast, but completely covered with meat! I on the other hand, expected a little fruit-cup on the side of the pancakes. What I saw was a big bowl of fruit, with some form of bread-like substance underneath! They were the pancakes! Want syrup? No need. It is already baked in! Tasty, but not what either of us expected. So, we switched meals.

Coffee, by the way, is kind of strange over here. I ordered a simple cup of coffee, and I was immediately asked if I wanted it “Flat white?” “Huh?” “Flat white or flat black.” “Uh,…. How about straight black?” “Huh?” It took some doing, but eventually I THINK I figured it out. Flat white is an espresso with milk. Flat black is just plain black espresso. I don’t know how to get regular coffee yet. I hope to figure it out pretty soon. Otherwise, this boy is going to be WIRED!

After laughing our way through breakfast, it was off to “Kelly Tarlton’s” aquarium and penguin emporium. Mr. Tarlton created an underground aquarium in the mid-1960’s, by converting an abandoned underground water via-duct. The aquarium is quite nice, with “viewing domes and tunnels” going underneath and through the aquariums. It is quite spectacular to have sharks and rays swim up and over you. Some of these fish are so large that they literally block out the light as they pass over. The penguin exhibit is very nice, although you don’t get to spend a lot of time there. So, we went through it three times! (You sit in a little “tundra buggy” that carries you through the Antarctic exhibit. This helps keep the visitors comfortably warm while maintaining a very cold environment for the penguins.)

We spent quite a long time at the aquarium. Some of the highlights were watching a diver do a live feeding in the main tank. We also got to see some baby squid feeding. It was amazing to watch them catch fish that were almost as large as they were. And yes, when startled, they really do squirt out an ink-like substance. It was fun AND educational!

Soon it was time to head back downtown, where we walked to Albert Park. This is one of many public parks in the City. There are flowers growing all over the place in very well manicured gardens. In fact, two wedding couples were having their pictures made while we watched. There are also some very large and strange looking trees in the park. They seem to be some sort of fig tree, but they grow in weird and fantastic shapes. One tree seemed to have grown into a circle. I could actually climb into the middle of it! There was enough room for two or three people to “camp out” in there! I was fascinated by these trees, even though I know that I will be seeing a lot more that are just as strange and beautiful.

After spending about eight hours walking around Auckland, we decided to go back home to Takapuna Beach. Of course, by this time we were getting a little hungry, so we stopped in to a local shop (“The Cod Piece”) for a quick supper. Then we decided we should go get some groceries for the coming week. Now THAT was an adventure!

First, and most importantly, there are NO POP-TARTS! Secondly, they have some very WEIRD foods here. One of the packaged was labeled “Chicken Munchies.” There is some sort of gremlin on the package that REALLY makes you want to eat this stuff. Then, there is a cereal made by the “Sanitarium” company, called “Kornies.” “Sanitarium Kornies: You’d be crazy not to like ‘em!” And of course, there is the old standby cereal “Rice Bubbles.” You might recognize the box! We didn’t get any of the “Kiwi Lard” or “Kiwi Drippings.”

After escaping the “Food Town,” we got home just in time to witness a fantastic sunset. It has been a long day, and we are both tired. Tomorrow? Who knows what we will do or see? Only time will tell!

The Adventure Begins!