Today was a day filled with walking!! Auckland is built on a hill and, in relation to where we were walking today, our hostel is at the bottom of that hill. We all got a wonderful leg workout walking for hours on end.
We started the day off at the Auckland Art Gallery, or Toi o Tamaki in Maori. This was a beautiful gallery with modern, traditional, and aboriginal art. We explored paintings, sculptures, and videos that are the works of New Zealanders and Australians. Not only did we see exceptional artworks, but we also got learn about more New Zealand and Australian history throughout the exhibits.
We started the day off at the Auckland Art Gallery, or Toi o Tamaki in Maori. This was a beautiful gallery with modern, traditional, and aboriginal art. We explored paintings, sculptures, and videos that are the works of New Zealanders and Australians. Not only did we see exceptional artworks, but we also got learn about more New Zealand and Australian history throughout the exhibits.
After the art gallery we continued our uphill journey to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. This museum has a central focus on New Zealand history including that of nature and war. Throughout the museum we explored exhibits on the indigenous Maori people, animals, land, dress, and wars. It was very interesting reading from a different perspective and seeing images of a different country in the World Wars, as well as, learning more about New Zealand's history.
One of the most amazing things we saw today in the war museum was this authentic Waka canoe, made from carving a single tree. If the end of the Waka (the black portion) is raised that means the Maori mean business and usually represents war or battle. If the end is lowered it means peace.
Throughout our day of walking and roaming Auckland we saw some amazing scenery. Finally, we had dinner at an Istanbul Kabob and Wood Fired Pizza place (Mom, I had a lovely veggie kabob).