We went back to Auckland to try out pet sitting for 10 days. Louie was a 7 year old whippet who was so chill and lovable. I never knew a dog who like to burrow in the blankets so much. He was a total joy! 🐾

New Zealand was truly the land of rainbows. 🌈

I heard a stat that Auckland had the most boats per capita and I understood why. There was water everywhere! ⚓️

Shadow Louie. 👤

Got to see a vehicle transport ship docked in downtown Auckland. It was quite a project to get the cars and trucks off the ship and then ferry the drivers back onto the ship for more. Great use-case for an electric option! ⚡️

Morning view of Rangitoto Island, across the bay from Auckland. According to Pure New Zealand:

Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of Auckland's 48 dormant volcanic cones and is home to the world's largest pohutukawa forest.

Chilly mornings required a coat. 🧥

This was Steve's favorite kid art from the fridge. 🎨

We were two of the 31k+ people who saw the All Blacks play the South African Springboks. We drove to a nearby train station and joined the crowds. So much easier than driving to the stadium. Steve likened it to a CU football game in terms of size. The half time show was a local middle school dance group which was very charming. 🏉

Victory! ✌️

We checked out a local vintage shop flea market and I came across this box of match books. I wanted to buy them all for an art project but it was not the right time. 🤔

I should add that Steve walked Louie every day at least twice. He saw more of the neighborhood than I did but my knitting did improve. 🧶 We said goodbye to Louie and got ready to be back on the road for our final week in New Zealand. 🚙