Today I took the ferry to Devonport, just across Auckland Harbour. Devonport is super cute. It's like a little seaside town with cute little houses and shops and stuff. I really liked it. I clambered straight up the steep slope of Mt Victoria, a dead volcano in the middle of the town (yeah, straight up. The path spiralled around it going up gradually but I decided I was more hardcore and ambled straight up through the high grass. It was harder than I thought at midday. Bad timing. Oops. But I got there, quite out of breath but ah well, it was the fastest way, haha). At the top I lay in the grass in the sun, read my book, took in the gorgeous view in all directions; the Rangitoto volcano or whatever it's called, the Auckand skyline, harbour, Devonport and all the cute neighbouring towns. Yeah. It was really nice. Later in the afternoon I took a bus to Takapuna beach which is supposed to be the New Zealand Bondi Beach but I was sorely disappointed by the wet hard sand and grubby beach. The water was pretty clear but still. Not very comfy sand or anything. I sat sipping a white chocolate frappe watching the crazy kids singing and throwing each other off standing up paddling surf boards or whatever. It was a nice afternoon.