It's been a little damp...

The remnants of typhoon Winston have been hanging over the North Island while we have been here in Auckland, making for a drizzly, wet, grey environment.  We haven't much minded that, being from a desert, but after three days one does hanker for a bit of blue sky and some sunshine here and there.  

The locals have been very apologetic about the weather, telling us that up until our arrival it "has been glorious".   Today (Wednesday) is looking a little better with patchy bits of blue finally visible, which will make for a nice day to board our ship.

The accompanying humidity has done some interesting things to our possessions and our selves.  Cheryl's normally dry, limp, sorta wavy hair has turned into a fluffy, curly mop.  The passports, kept inside the room safe, are beginning to curl at the edges.  After six days of travel we decided to launder the clothes we have worn, and it took four cycles in the dryer for each load of wash.  On the other hand, I haven't had to use a single drop of hand lotion, foot cream, hair conditioner, Chapstick or sunscreen.

Yesterday's weather meant we had to forego our intended harbour cruise and we instead headed over to the Auckland Museum where we learned about Maori culture, the battle of Gallipoli, and kiwis.  Kiwis are a bird, a fruit or a person; but they are all round, brown and sorta fuzzy.