Auckland layover, take 2

I had another layover in Auckland on the way back to Manila from Apia, this one was 17 hours between flights and I took the ferry over to Waiheke Island, about 45 mins across the bay from Auckland where I rented a scooter.  Amazing views of the various bays and vineyards on the island and was nice to be cold for a change since its winter in NZ.

Reunited with some variable oystercatchers - my subject species from my study abroad project

S A M O A

After the quick layover in Auckland, I finally landed in Apia, Samoa to attend the UN's Small Island Developing States (SIDS) meeting, a 4 day conference to discuss issues effecting SIDS.  Following the meetings, I was able to stay on for some site visits to projects we have in Samoa, as well as a little down time to see some beaches on the weekend in between.

quick stop in New Zealand

After 10 years, I finally made it back to New Zealand, though only as a 24hr layover en route to Apia, Samoa.  It was a chilly welcome back given that it’s winter in Auckland, but provided a great excuse to spend some extra time in coffee shops.