Journal: Pages 27-28

 

(including the students of the nearby University of Auckland) alike prowled the restaurants, bars and theatres along Victoria Street, which all appear to orbit around the 328-metre high Sky Tower. (Naturally, Sky TV is broadcasted from atop the tower.) The observatory is open until 11:30 pm and, true to the Kiwi spirit, offers a death-defying bungee jump from 192m (about 60 floors up) during the day. Down below is Sky City, a veritable Las-Vegas-like resort complex with a hotel, casino, theatre ("Rocky Horror Picture Show" was on tonight, attracting the usual retinue in fancy dress), lounges with live acts and restaurants that open late.

The Louis Vuitton Cup -- qualifying races for the American Cup -- is the biggest event in town, or the local media and advertisers would like you to believe. Yacht racing as a live spectator sport is realised by a bunch of people perching atop the Harbour Bridge.

Three-course Turkish dinner at the Midnight Express Cafe, across the street from the Sky Tower

More about that luck of finding my way in the city: Every serendipitous choice of turns and alleyway entrances, even at night -- and considering keep-left traffic and one-way streets -- took me where I wanted to go between the Hyatt Hotel at the University and the downtown venues.

1st December '02, Sunday: Auckland

A whole day is wasted at the airport as I returned the Holden Vectra 2.2 in time to avoid the extra-day charge. It's Mediterranean weather here in Auckland: Sun, warmth, glory.

 

22-31 May 2003: NORWAY (again!)

FINLAND - SWEDEN

Lofoten Islands - Nordkapp - Lappland

21-22 May 2003, Wednesday-Thursday: Los Angeles - London - Oslo via Sandefjord

Sacrificing convenience and efficiency for sheer economy, I've made the following epic journey just to get to my cheap hotel room in Frogner, Oslo by midnight:

- 17:25 LAX - 10 hr flight to LHR (BA)

- 2 hour bus ride from Heathrow to Stansted

- 18:50 Ryanair: 2 hr flight to Oslo Torp (Sandefjord)

The original flight was delayed in Norway, and Ryanair -- having sold me a "free" round trip flight, with my paying only about $40 / £23 in taxes and fees -- scrambled another plane initially scheduled for Pisa, Italy

- 22:30 1 hr 10 min bus ride from Sandefjord to Oslo bus terminal

- 00:00 10 min taxi to Frogner Rainbow Hotel, the cheapest (Kr 600) I could find on the net. A couple next door behind the thin wall were

 
Switzerland (2002, 2003) 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 [Liechtenstein 15] 53 
New Zealand (2002) 16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 25-26 27-28
New Zealand (May-June 2004) 54 55-56 57-58 59-60 61-62 63-64 65 72 
Australia (2004) 66 67-68 69-70 71
New Zealand (November 2004) 73-74 75-76 77-78 79-80 81-82
 

   
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