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Dear Diary,
My legs are covered in bruises. It's the price you pay when you're a clumsy thrill seeker like myself. I thrive on the post adventure rush but am forced to wear pants for weeks after.
Even the sexy wetsuit and bright yellow helmet combo couldn't protect my body from getting thrashed at canyoning.
But it was so worth it.
Our group of eight hiked part of the Hillary Trail (sporting aforementioned flattering attire) in the Waitakere Ranges, about 40 minutes west of central Auckland.
To get back to our van we had to cross the gorge.
I climbed over logs, slid head first through a cave and swam in eel-infested waters (OK, there was just one eel, but she was really huge).
The day-long excursion, complete with lunch on the warm rocks at the base of our abseiling feat, was so much fun I even managed to forget how dorky I looked.
Saturday:
Dear Diary,
My favourite things about staying in a hotel is the awesome bed and the buffet breakfast.
I slept like a log in my plush king-sized bed at the Westin. I was tempted to crash amongst the pristine linen all day but was lured out of bed by the thought of the brekkie selection.
I did a lap of the breakfast bar.
Then I picked up a warm plate and took a selection of all my favourite things - hash brown, croissant, bagel - good thing I'm not on the Atkins Diet.
After feasting for 40 minutes on all my white foods I made my way to the wharf to catch the boat over to Rangitoto - one of 47 volcanoes in Auckland.
There's huge volcanic rocks all over the island - it's got a prehistoric vibe about it.
I took the lazy person's trek up Rangitoto (a Maori word meaning bloody sky) - hitching a ride on the tractor.
From the top there are panoramic views of Auckland's skyline and its surrounding waters.
I explored lava caves and the crater of the dormant volcano but I was feeling guilty about carbo-loading earlier so packed up the camera and picked up the pace.
I ran down the mountain - and lucky I did - I would have missed the ferry back to the mainland - and I needed to get home for my SkyWalk.
Still sweating when I got back to downtown Auckland, I headed to the Sky Tower.
Another day, another sexy ensemble - this time I pulled on a pair of bright orange overalls.
With winds blowing at over 60 knots, I edged around the metal track (with no barricade to keep me in), 328 metres above the street.
I had total faith in my harness, but was feeling a bit freaked out by the thought of being blown off my feet and suspended in the air.
But I love a good thrill.
Sunday:
Dear Diary,
I decided to give the body a bit of a break on day three of my Auckland adventure.
I managed to get a treasured sleep-in before round two in the buffet (tried to go for the fruit and yoghurt but couldn't help dishing up a side of bacon).
I headed out into the Hauraki Gulf on a dolphin and whale watching safari.
I've been fishing out in the gulf before and hadn't seen much marine life aside from the snapper on the end of my line.
After an hour of cruising the ocean - the gentle sway of the boat sent me to sleep.
My wake-up call came over the loudspeaker when a member of the crew had spotted birds diving into the water - a sign that dolphins were nearby.
Sure enough, a pod of dolphins began swimming in the wash created by our boat. Hundreds of them.
There was so much snapping going on that no one saw the waves surge, until they crashed over the stern of the boat and soaked us all.
When I thought the tourists couldn't flash faster - a whale surfaced beside the boat, stealing the spotlight from our Flipper friends.
Cruising back to the wharf in Auckland, I dozed off again.
I've thrown my body off cliffs, worked up a sweat running around a volcano and flogged it with fierce winds at over 300 metre heights.
I'm beat. Time for bed, dear diary.
If you go:
www.aucklandnz.com
