Friday, Feb 22nd, Auckland, New Zealand

Greetings!

Today, we listened to lions roar, and took the Sky tower elevator to its 60th floor to view Auckland.  Beginning with another train ride into the City, we hopped-on to the western circuit of the City Tour bus, and got off at the Auckland Zoo.   We saw penguins hiding under an over-turned boat, Sri-Lankan elephants in a barn escaping the rain, a serval sleeping in his small den, and two kiwis pecking at the ground in a darkened enclosure.

Not afraid to greet us in the light were two male lions, some meerkat, a southern white rhino, several tortoise, three giraffe, and four zebras.

The Zoo's layout is a fun to walk through, and allows the visitor to get a real sense of the environment in which each animal finds home.  It balances the need for security for the animals with our desire to get as close as possible.  Too many zoos seem to force their captives to put on a show for the visitors.  The reality is that they are not easy to find in the wild, and this zoo makes you understand and appreciate that.

Returning to the Sky Tower, we ascended to the Observation Deck to watch four young people conquer their fears by leaping off the ledge surrounded by video cameras and plenty of safety cables.  Eighty-five seconds later, they were being unbuckled on a platform at street level, and flashing victory fingers to their parents.

Dinner at St Pierre's on Queen Street, we rode the train in the rain back home.  Note to us: buy another umbrella, and a flashlight.

To view the other photos taken today, click on: Friday, Feb 22nd, Auckland, New Zealand.