“Success Is Not Achieved Alone, But Rather It Is Achieved Collectively” NZ All Blacks Player

April 12

The storm in the South unkindly made its way to the North Island and dumped rain and lashing winds overnight. It sounded like that night in the Milford Sound Lodge with the wind whipping around the apartment and rain pounding the roof. We awoke to downed trees and tree limbs on the driveway. We had power. Others were not so fortunate downtown.

It’s too bad we didn’t really get to enjoy the beauty of Waiheke by doing any hikes or beach visits. Next time!

Our ferry to Auckland this morning was at 10:00 a.m. albeit most services were delayed due to the weather. Ours left only a few minutes late. I was not looking forward to crossing in the storm. The rain had lessened but it was still pretty windy.

Not taking any chances, I strapped my sea sickness watch on and hoped for the best.

Fortunately, after a short lived rocky start, the boat sailed through without any trouble and we arrived at the Auckland ferry terminal 40 minutes later.

We were able to check in early to the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Auckland, where we’re staying for two nights. Thanks to our niece Shelby for hooking us up with a great room at a great friends and family rate with the best shower pressure of the trip so far! You da best 😘!

Mitch broke his pescatarian diet again for us to split a pastrami Reuben sandwich at Federal Deli and he said it was 100% worth it and I 200% agreed despite the shirt that says it’s only 98% good.

Our first afternoon activity was the Weta Workshop Cave Tour, an interactive film effects company known for his masterful Hollywood special effects and costumes.

Weta Works is the company that designed the costumes in Lord of the Rings and many other feature films.

We learned how they make the props, costumes, creatures and models for fantasy horror and sci-fi films. Cave entry was through a secret passage. We took goofy pictures and had a fun time.

Check out our sessions with the makeup artists.

Straight after our Weta tour, we headed down one level to the All Blacks Experience tour.

Albert was our awesome tour guide, whose passion for the sport of rugby really shined through.

The All Blacks jersey was dreamed up by Thomas Elison in the late 1800s and has been used ever since. Prior to that, the team had blue jerseys and white bottoms. The name All Blacks was adopted from a misprint in a newspaper in England, where the team was on tour for a game. Originally, the team was called the All Backs, but the report accidentally got it wrong and eventually the team just adopted the new name to match their jersey color.

The team is the most valuable rugby brand in the world. The All Blacks are also known for their popularity with people who don’t watch rugby, and players are considered national heroes.

We learned a bit more about the history of the sport and even got some interactive opportunities to show off our mad athletic skills.

The videos are evidence of why I was always chosen close to last in middle school gym class.

We then headed over to the Sky Tower for views of Auckland and beyond.

We ended the night at Cassia, an excellent Indian restaurant in the Sky Tower complex in the CBD.