Still full of energy, I walked down the mountain to Auckland Domain, a large park. Street signs again lacked, so I mostly had to guess the way even though I had a map. This was a very large park with many sections. I entered some enormous grassy field, past a group of school kids playing cricket, up some hills, and toward to a large museum. It hadn't been my original intention to visit a museum, but I talked to the woman at the reception desk and it sound quite interesting. So in I went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

This was an incredible place filled with a very wide range of creative exhibits! I wouldn't be able to rave about it enough! There were three large floors with many rooms, each covering a different subject... natural history, dinosaurs, birds, caves, Maori culture, Polynesian art, oceans, volcanos, numerous wars and memorials, and so much more!

The museum behind a flat water fountain

Inside the beautiful building

Some Maori art and buildings

An entwined pair

Inside one the large Maori ceremonial house

This is a reconstruction of a moa, the largest of 11 species of these giant birds that once lived in New Zealand.

The kiwi lays an egg that is 1/5th of its body weight. The eggs comes out soft but is still enormous in comparison!

The volcano exhibit was spectacular! Upon entering this small house, you got to participate in what would happen if Auckland erupted.

Inside the house, you get a view though the sliding glass door of the "peaceful" conditions outside... soon about to change! The tv turns on and we hear the latest news stories of what's happening. Then the underwater volcano erupts outside our window. The ash is hurled towards us; the lights snap out; and the house jolts on its foundations. Wonderful!!

There were several complete streets of what Auckland was like in the 1860's.

Many of the buildings could be entered, or at least given a glance through the window. Each building was based on an actual building/store that existed at the time.... such as the saddle maker, the chemist, the gunsmith, and more.

Inside a house

The saloon was complete with the sounds of patrons, pouring drinks and other noises of the time.

A memorial to those fallen during war

The British Spitfire was first designed in 1935 and was in production until 1949. There was also a Japanese Zero on display.

The war exhibits were quite large and detailed. Each one gave you a deep feeling of what that particular war must have been like.

I explored until the museum was about to close at 5 pm. I then continued my way deeper into the park. I passed incredibly large trees with impressive roots, made my way down tropical paths, enjoyed large stands of bamboo that clicked in the wind, crossed over open grassy fields, and weaved through dense forest paths, all the while listening to the songs of cicadas and birds that lingered on the humid air. I sat in the flower garden for a bit, eating my beet sandwich... the envy of many small birds.

Large, impressive trees

The shady oak forest

The flower garden. Many of the trees were in spectacular bloom as well.

Uh... you weren't thinking of eating that all by yourself, were you??

Atropical walkway

Dense, enormous forests

By the time I reached the far end of the park, commuter traffic was in full force... both for cars and pedestrians. I merged with the flow and made my way home. I learned that not every light has a crosswalk and you had to choose your correct side of the street in advance, so I ended up going a couple extra blocks before being able to cross and then turn back. By the time I got to the hostel, I was pretty darn worn out. So I skipped dinner and just went to bed after taking a shower down the hall.