On the 25th, we packed our stuff and checked out of the hostel, then met up with Helene to go to Victoria Market. After lunch, we spent the afternoon relaxing in the park and going around the huge Borders bookshop. We said goodbye to Helene at 5, then went to meet Camillo, the guy who Rebekka works for at Leigh Marine Lab. We had dinner at the food court in the Metro building, then he drove Rebekka and I to the lab at Leigh.
Leigh is about an hour's drive north of Auckland and the lab is just outside the village in a marine reserve opposite Goat Island. Because it's a protected environment, there's a huge population of wildlife in its sheltered bay, so it's very popular with tourists.
We spent 12 days at the lab, the first three living in a bunk room on site, and the rest staying at the house of the lab's handyman, Tom. Most days we'd go the lab in the morning and then spend the day at the beach or sitting somewhere to read. Rebekka had to work as well, but only for a few hours a day.
It was nice to relax and not do a lot for such a long period of time. We went to a couple of markets, out sampling a beach, went for a swim and to a Christmas Carol concert, but apart from that we just spent the time enjoying the usually warm weather and good scenery.
