Nicks Big Adventure

I have a few moments before I have to check out. I have Walked around this area called Mangere a few times. I went into the cultural center and visited an art display that was pretty cool. I also signed up to help with beach clean up in Tarunga. That is where I am headed to today. I also conquered the bus system here by visiting Auckland 3 days in a row by bus. On Tuesday I went to town to check on my van and see what there was to see. I found a cool park called Arthur Park. I walked around and took a nap under a large tree. Wednesday I went to a trendy area for lunch and also visited the maritime museum and the fresh fish market which was huge. All in all I feel like I know Auckland pretty well. Thats why I will leave today and go to the beach for a week. I have to return to pick up my van on saturday, that is a fun story. When I found the van it was taken to a mechanic and he found some problems. The seller has to fix those problems so it would take a few days. A few days plus and no van. When I showed up at their site it took them some time to tell me that it needed a new engine. Seller pays for the fixes but now I'm stuck. I finally got a car on loan so that I can drive to Tarunga. I immediately got lost driving back from downtown. But once I got the hang of it there was no problem. I got back to Mangere and took the time to drive around for a while. I found a small hiking trail that I took advantage of and explored for a few hours. It was great, the trail was green and easy going. It was a stone field where there had been a lava flow so lots of lava rock and grass. In the end my first week has been good, I must carry on to discover more places. I hope all is well back at home and I miss y'all. Pura Vida