December 28

Licensed or unlicensed? Alcohol or caffeine? Interesting questions so far on this trip. Many signs provide that restaurants are "fully licensed." With the diverse cultural influences in Auckland, we couldn't help but wonder why certain restaurants were labeled as licensed or not. Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and the Istanbul Kebab were "licensed." After looking at pictures of some of the food, one had to wonder. "Licensed" we found out refers to alcohol sales.

After 13 hours on a plane - most of it in the dark with little sleep, alcohol or caffeine became a challenging question. Alcohol to help with sleep or fire up. Caffeine to feel fired up. Both? Choices include: beer, local wine, soda, coffee, tea? Both options combined seem to work best. I feel pretty good right now.

The City is great. Vibrant with varying architecture. The University of Auckland has a great, park-like campus. Old churches, modern buildings, a sky tower (the tallest building in the southern hemisphere), and easily accessible areas mark the City. The people are fairly diverse and willing to help. For sushi eaters, we have seen what seems like 100 sushi restaurants - licensed in some cases.

The easterlies are to pick up tonight with rain possible. Sailing tomorrow (Monday).