Andaman Islands - an Unexplored Marvel

Travel has always been a passion - a wanderlust I call myself. A significant part of my savings goes into exploring new places and cultures. Travelling is an expenditure I don't mind spending on - it is an investment that I make to feel wonder, gratitude, humility and experience myriad of tastes, cultures and history. 

My most recent trip was to the Andaman and Nicobar islands, an isolated strip of islands approximately 1200 km from the Indian mainland. They need to ship everything to here - even food. It was used historically during the British Raj as a cellular jail with no high walls - there was no escape from here, it was only water everywhere. It was infamously known as Kaalapani - death waters. It was a must visit to apprehend and respect the freedom fighters sacrifices. It was an unexpected, unplanned trip for us - a first. We swooped in on a really good flight deal and moved quickly - everything was set up in 2 days, 1 week before the day of the travel. 

We started our journey with an early morning flight from Hyderabad to Port Blair which went uneventfully with uninterrupted sleep. We were welcomed by drizzling rain. I particularly loved the sea facing room from which we could even see the Ross Island, later renamed as Subhas Chandra Bose island. After refreshing ourselves, we had lunch and went to the Ross Island + North Bay island boat tour. We saw the ruins, reminiscent of a grand life of the British officials at Ross Island. Ross Island saved the inhabitants of Port Blair from the tsunami of 2004 by bearing most of its brunt and blocking it from affecting the capital city. From Ross Island, we went to the North Bay island, which is famous for its coastline that was pictured on the old Indian 20rs note. It is where people visit for watersports such as scuba diving, snorkeling, banana ride, parasailing and so on. We did go for a semi submarine ride that gives a glimpse of the marine life underneath. After reaching land, we booked tickets to the light and sound show at the Cellular Jail for a historical walk through the walls. It rained through the show, and thanks to the umbrella we carried luckily, we could come out of the incessant rain almost untouched. With a sumptous dinner, we retired to our rooms for a good night sleep. 

The next day, we went to visit the cellular jail, the kaalapani, the cells, the watch towers, the gallows and the museum after which we took a ferry to the Havelock Island aka Swaraj Dweep. The Havelock island's Radha nagar beach, is famous for being one of Asia's best beach. We got a private access to the beach, thanks to our stay in the Taj Exotica Resort. If there is another word for hospitality it is the Taj group, we really enjoyed our stay at the Taj resort - the food was tasty, the room was humungous and the people were friendly. The high tea at the cleanest beach was completely worth it. We even joked that it was very rare to find a beach so empty and unmanned in India. It was clean, spectacular and as I closed my eyes, I heard the soothing sound of waves, and the wind dancing on my face - it was a surreal moment. 

In the morning, I even tried feeding ducks - it was exhilarating - them pecking at my hands and the corn disappearing in seconds. I highly recommend the Taj stay if you ever visit the Havelock Island.

The next day, we took a ferry to the Neil Island, also known as the Shaheed Dweep. The Sitapur beach, famous for its sunrise, was a stone's throw away from our resort, our room overlooking the sea. We went on a beach tour the next day to the Bharatpur and Laxmanpur beaches. We saw marine life up close on a boat with a magnified glass bottom. We could see various kinds of corals and numerous fish. We went to the natural bridge, made of dead corals in the Laxmanpur beach. The water was so clear, we could see starfish, fish (even Dory), live corals, we throughly enjoyed it. The guide explained and showed us all of these with a lot of patience. He even clicked many photographs of us to take memories of that day home.

After a quiet afternoon at the beach with white sand and literally noone around, we went back to Port Blair. The Andaman islands were unexplored and unexploited making it the perfect getaway to be amidst nature's beauty. We had dinner and prepared ourselves for the long flight early morning the next day. We reached Hyderabad safely the next day only to carry with us the beauty of the magnificent Andaman islands in our hearts. 

Wishing for another wonderful tour soon. 

Attention Please!

She is in the air we breathe involuntarily, We realise her importance when we are fighting for our breaths with COVID19 or coughing during the Bhopal Gas disaster, 

She is the water we drink, cook, wash our hands with, and even flush our toilets with, We realise her importance only when we do not find a drop of water near by with an undying thirst, 

She is in the oceans and lands swallowing the waste we throw into them, trying to forgive us for our dire mistakes, 

She is in the trees that give us oxygen we breathe and the food we eat, yet so easily we cut the throats off of, 

She is in the soil we use for growing crops, suffocated by the fertilisers and chemicals we put in unmindful of her, 

Don't take her for granted, she is the tsunami, the epidemics, the earthquakes, the climate change - showing us our place with all her mighty wrath, 

Before she decides our fate, we need to cherish her, love her, and hold her like a mother would hold her newborn baby, protective, tender and gentle in her arms, 

Because she is our Mother Nature and she, like every mother, while nourishment of her kids is priority, she will also make sure to correct their mistakes, as she deems fit.   

Dear 2020, what a year you have been!

2020, what a year it has been. It is the most unprecedented, unimaginable, inconceivable year that anyone could have envisaged in 2019. When people were talking about how the world was becoming a smaller place, how global cities were accessible in a matter of few hours and formalities, 2020 is the year that built walls back and shattered hopes of one and all. It showed us the difference between necessity, comfort and luxury. It made us understand minimalistic living. I would also like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who had succumbed to the disease and hope their loved ones rest in peace. A silent prayer goes out to everyone who is suffering from this virus and/or have lost their jobs, a virus that has completely turned the world upside down. Wishing you all a speedy recovery and get back on your feet soon. For those who are doing well or have recovered, please take very good care of yourselves and follow all the guidelines to ensure not only your safety but your family’s too. I thank all the frontline personnel, working day and night, to ensure our safety and health. As the year comes to an end, I hope that we return to normal soon, with some adjustments for the better.

While the year has affected our ways with a lot of negativity, there are certain aspects in which the year was better. For one, the pollution levels have gone down during the lockdown, nature could take a breath of fresh air and heal itself from anthropogenic activities. It was evident in the way nature reacted to the lockdown that it is in fact human activities that has destroyed nature in the last few decades. Anybody who doesn't accept this fact is just turning a blind eye to the stark reality. Everyone will accept that the air is cleaner, water is purer, birds chirpier and plants greener due to the lockdown. In the last decade that I have spent in India, I have never experienced a summer that was almost non-existent (with temperatures much lower than the averages), cooling rains throughout- it was really a pleasant experience, reiterating the importance of controlling industrial activities after the lockdown as well. I would like to focus in this article about the positive effects of the lockdown, as enough is already being said every day about the detrimental effects of the virus on the world, plunging us further into an abyss of unhappiness.

So what have you been up to this year? Hope you and your families were (are) safe during the lockdown. Yes, this year was despicable, people are waiting for it to be over, but it can also be an opportunity for everyone looking at the right places. An opportunity to learn something different from the usual, since everything we had considered normal was out the window for a toss. My original plan for the year had been a domestic trip (successfully completed in January 2020 thankfully), an international trip, learning to ride a bicycle (it's never too late) and learn swimming. Since most of these could not be fulfilled this year, I explored other options that I could start working on at home, without much interaction with people. This is an article to share my experiences this year.

1. Yoga and Meditation : Every Indian has heard of the benefits of practising yoga and meditation. But it was never a priority due to lack of time, or perhaps interest as well. Our school taught us meditation and organised practice sessions but the habit was lost soon after I graduated high school. When the lockdown started, and like most, all of us were working from home, I lost out on the exercise I used to get as a part of my daily routine to/in the office. So, I started exploring other options - gyms were also closed. I joined online yoga classes to experience the various benefits first hand. Am happy to say that they weren't lying. It definitely improves both physical and mental fitness.  

2. Gardening : I have never tried gardening or growing vegetables/ fruits/ flowering plants. Lack of space was always a constraint. When I saw my colleague's fruits of labour (vegetables, literally), it inspired me to take up gardening. Despite lack of space still being a limitation, I have taken up gardening at potted plants level by sowing chilli and tomato seeds. A few months down the line, I am proudly looking at my first flower buds that hopefully will eventually blossom into vegetables (/fruit, if you are one of those people who calls tomato technically a fruit). Please pray for my success (will update you if you are interested to know). I have researched on how to sow seeds, take care of seedlings/ saplings, required nutrition, organic pesticides and insecticides, how to transplant, what to expect, symptoms of various diseases/ malnutrition and so much more. Through this experience, I was amazed at nature and its simple wonders. It has been an enriching experience indeed. It also makes us value every piece of food that ends up on our plate. It also emphasises the natural cycles – plants producing veggies/fruits, whose inedible parts become valuable nutrients for their growth prompting me to add peels to soil to turn into compost & maintaining a healthy population of earthworms.

3. Reading : For all of you who know me personally, you are well aware of my love for reading. Reading for me is like going on a vacation. I strongly agree with Jhumpa Lahiri who said: “That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” Though travel was restricted this year, I got my chance to experience numerous places, cultures and people without stepping out of my house. But what made 2020 special in terms of my reading? I am now close to finishing 41 books this year and more, if time permits (my yearly challenge was to read 36 books for 2020). Also, since the lockdown restricted my visits to the bookstores, along with online shopping, I have subscribed to both Audible and Kindle Unlimited, (thanks to Amazon for giving me ways to still read books). It was my first time experience with audiobooks, due to which I have enjoyed a few books narrated by the authors themselves, and also someone as amazing as Tom Hanks!

4. Cryptic Crosswords: My Dad is an avid cryptic crosswords solver. For the uninitiated, cryptic crosswords are not like direct word clues, but as the name suggests are cryptic and the answer is not in its literal meaning. For the first time this year, I have learnt the art of solving cryptic crosswords. It was like playing with words, and for someone who devours words and loves languages, it was a game in itself. I thank my dad for introducing me to this art. I’m glad to say that now, I can solve easy to medium level clues. Trying to get better with more practice.

5. Knowledge and Education: Learning and upgrading oneself without the pressure of examinations, is like a fun ride. Lockdown brought a chance for us to improve our knowledge. Considering the amount of time saved that was earlier spent in commute can be put to better use now. Though I had enrolled for a diploma course last year, I got a chance to learn and pursue the course for a greater part in this year. It was an educational experience improving knowledge in my field of work, the environment. Hopefully I finish with flying colours soon! On another hand, I have always loved learning languages, therefore, in this lockdown, I had learnt how to read and write Malayalam. It is one of the toughest languages to learn and it was motivating to learn the alphabets and words. Continuing my thirst for languages, I have watched many Marathi movies in this lockdown to enhance my Marathi and not forget in my absence from Mumbai.

6. Work for Home and Work from Home: With almost everybody else (other than the essential workers), I have been working from home, with the help of the latest technology to communicate with colleagues, vendors, sub-contractors and clients. On the flip side, I have also worked for home more than I ever did. From washing utensils to sweeping floors, every person has embraced the work that comes with maintaining a house. It has also helped us appreciate the work done by house-help in our daily lives.

My biggest learning this year – “This is not the year to get everything you want, this is the year to appreciate everything you have”. Whoever said this, knew what they were talking about!

Stay Home, Stay Safe. Take all necessary precautions when going out.

United we stand (with social distancing), divided we fall.

Yeh hai Mumbai, meri Jaan

Finally, I put pen to paper (or in contemporary times, we can say, fingers to the keyboard) to write about few of the most eventful years of my life yet. And what better place than the heart of the country, the financial capital, the fashion destination, the Bollywood town, the city of dreams, Mumbai. From being all this to becoming 'Aamchi Mumbai', my Mumbai. The six years in the city have passed so quickly, like a horse running in a race, time flew. I have decided to put my thoughts on paper for I'm eternally grateful for how Mumbai has treated me, in a bed of roses, indeed. Mind you, I said roses, because roses have thorns too. 

My first tryst with Mumbai was when I joined the most prestigious institute in the country - IIT Mumbai, or IIT Powai as it is fondly called by the locals. I was barely a 20 year old who didn't know the ways of the world. In a protected cocoon till then, I ventured into hostel life for the first time in my life. Having heard quite some notorious stories about hostel life, I was a kind of happy nervous. As soon as I got allotted to a room, the intensity of the whole situation caught up to me and wind was knocked out of me. Hiding the tears that suddenly sprang into my eyes, I went about my daily ablutions and then went out with my Dad who had come to drop me. Thus began my journey of laughter, friendships, both eternal and ephemeral, and a bucketful of memories. IIT has given me my first gold medal (not in academics, nevertheless in PG Women Carroms), my first administrative position (Literary Secretary for Hostel 11), my first salary (a meagre stipend of Rs. 8000/month), my first job (in which I worked for more than 4 years, continuing my stint in Mumbai) and much more, for which I'm more than grateful. 

After graduating from IIT with flying colours, and a brief vacation at home (during my sister's marriage, so technically not much rest), I joined a technology company in Navi Mumbai (The distinction is quite clear and vivid, for someone who is from Mumbai or ever stayed in Mumbai, for everybody else, it is Mumbai). I stayed in a PG with other girls of a similar age group but from varying backgrounds, right from the North to the South of India. The things I have learnt from these people are numerous, a few becoming family and a few, headaches throughout. The diversity between all of them who were from various parts of the country - very distinct, but one thing was common between all of us - we were all missing home, family and home-cooked food. 

At the same time, I was, for the first-time, earning a full-time salary doing a full-time job at a corporate office. My first step into learning new things, both technical and personal, including new languages (Okay, one language only, Marathi, but various versions of it). Some experiences helped me grow as a person, both professionally and emotionally. Somewhere along the way, I learnt to balance my work and personal life, sometimes, both intermixing, as colleagues became friends.

The balance was essential. On one end, there were pressures of working life, deadlines, travel and work commitments. On the other, there were all kinds of household chores, laundry, cooking, washing utensils, cleaning, you know, all boring stuff. If I had any life left in me after all this, some recreational activities, reading, music, movies, travel, sightseeing, partying and dinners with friends. A perfect balance with all these activities results in a healthy, happy mind. If I close my eyes, the mind plays a beautiful and colourful reel of times with friends, family, cousins at so many places of natural beauty, that automatically manages to bring a smile onto my face. 

In all my journey in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, I have always managed to find amazing people and make amazing friends, from the first roommate to the last, from the first friend in the office to the latest. I'm grateful to all of those who have catered to my every whim and fancy and also those, who made me realise the value of true friendship, both by showing it as well as shunning it (Even those few, who by their words and deeds tried to bring me down but instead only made me stronger). I'm eternally indebted to my parents, who have believed in me and what I wanted to do, despite what the society has to say. I thank my Mom, Dad, Sis, Jiju and family for encouraging me and your precious advice every step of the way. I'm grateful for this journey I embarked upon, to become a confident, self-sufficient, financially independent woman, that has shaped me into who I am and what my future will be. 

Thanks to each and every one of you I met on the way in these last 6 years - from the first hello to the last time we said good bye (Oh, we'll meet again, I'm sure). Thanks to this city, that was indeed the city of dreams. If you are reading this, you were part of this journey, even if it was in the most minute possible way. Message me, if you remember any memories with me, I would love to relive those! 

With Lots of Love,

Sravya Rapaka :)

In the Clouds..

As soon as I hear an assuring click from the seat belt, I pull out my earphones from my bag, turn the phone into airplane mode and nuzzle into position, trying to get as comfortable as possible in the cramped up space that airlines boast of. The air hostess has started her usual routine of safety instructions in Hindi and English. Most people around me are either immersed in their phones, looking blankly at the air hostess, snoring already or just plain bored. Nobody really seemed to be listening to the woman who was doing her duty, and actually instructing us about our safety. I wonder if we were that careless or have we heard it way too many times to be able to convince us to pay any attention to them this time. Most of the people would probably concur to the latter.

Yes, I conclude, it is the latter. Once every few months, I travel to my home town and back. Sometimes, I go on business trips too. I have spent anywhere between 45 mins to 12 hours in one flight to get from point A to point B. I think back to when was the first time I had travelled in a flight. I think it was the summer of the late nineties. We were travelling from Hyderabad to Delhi, the final destination being Mussorie. My Aunt, Uncle and cousin accompanied us to the airport for the send-off to the excited first-timers. When we called a few hours later, they ask us, enthusiasm clear in their voices, How was your experience? Did you reach Delhi yet? To which we answered, “The flight was delayed”. And that day, the flight was delayed for 12 hours. The flight that was supposed to take off at 8 in the morning did so at 8 in the night. Thus, began our journey in the skies. Nonetheless, leaving the gory details out (In those days, I had all kinds of sicknesses – I suffered from bus-sickness, car-sickness, air-sickness, sea-sickness, anything that was moving a little fast really) but, it was an out of the world experience, albeit 12 hours later. Imagine an airline doing that now. With the increase in the number of impatient Indians, running to get somewhere immediately, a 12 hour delay might result in either a very injured crew or the media tearing the airline to pieces.

More than a decade and numerous flights later, an apprehensive young girl (if you haven’t guessed already, that’s me), cured of her air sickness, travels to Hyderabad from Mumbai, alone. Just before leaving to the airport, I ask my Dad the nth time, “what do I do at the counter?” My Dad patiently explains the procedure of obtaining the boarding pass, passing the security check and boarding the plane. After what felt like a herculean task then, I boarded the flight, landed in Hyderabad and reached home safe and sound.

Not long before that, I de-board another plane to put my foot on foreign soil for the first time (Singapore – the first country I visited outside India). 2 years later, I travel on my birthday, back to office – what an amazing view from the top, it was like I was on cloud nine. Another year later, I animatedly point at the Eiffel Tower from the landing plane after a restless 12 hour journey flight to the place I had always wanted to visit – France (I hadn’t slept much in the flight, anticipating this moment).

2 years and countless flights later, in present day, I yawn as the air hostess asks everyone to straighten our seats, fasten our seat belts, open the window shades and close the tray tables. I’m all set to sleep the entire journey. I almost thank my stars that the airline doesn’t include meals in its fare. I can sleep without any disturbance, at peace. As soon as the flight takes off the taxiway, I open the tray table and lay my head on it. Though I was amidst clouds in actuality, I would rather spend time dreaming about them.

A jerk. I ignore, these are normal. Turbulence, the airlines call it. Yet another jerk. Another jolt, and I’m sitting upright in my seat, annoyed for having been woken up before reaching the destination. I look around and see that many of my fellow passengers share my emotions. I look the other side, the flight was passing through white, silvery clouds (just another trivia fact: I stopped requesting for a window seat quite a long time ago, but luckily I did get allotted to one this flight). I look outside, while the sun peeking out of the clouds, smiling at me, reprimanding me perhaps for not enjoying the beauty it showered around me. I stick my tongue out at the sun and fall back to sleep again.

This time, I’m woken up only by the thud of the plane touching the tarmac. I smile and mumble a silent prayer. I have reached my destination finally.

Times have definitely changed. If you would have told the 10-year-old-me waiting to board her delayed first flight, that one day travel by flight will be so regular that the journey usually becomes the most dreary, uneventful part, she would have laughed at you.

But what remains the same is that,

Sometimes, it is about the journey. Sometimes, it is about the destination. Either way, I’m happy to travel.

Blue skies, green pastures and much more..

Well, thanks for waiting for the final part of this travelogue. It was a special trip and I thank all of you for being my audience so far. It was a pleasure sharing my experiences with you. Time spent with family is the most cherishable time. 

To continue onward with my journey, we visited the north shore of Auckland, which constitutes of the affluent communities in Takapuna and Devenport. Devenport is one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen - a very European, or rather English architecture, quite classy I must add. We took a ferry to that place and came back on the Harbour bridge which connects the two parts of Auckland. The ferry is a part of the daily commute of local people, how about that! We went to the CBD walk, fell in love with the skyline. I don't know what it is about skylines, perhaps I'm drawn to the harmonious juxtaposition of high rise buildings, that represent urbanisation, with the serene nature, usually the sea or its coastline. The perfect balance - progress holding hands with the environment - every environmentalist's dream come true. 

The next weekend, we went to Coromandel in New Zealand. Famous for what is called the Cathedral cove, it is around 100 kms from Auckland. The cathedral cove is a naturally formed cove by erosion due to water for many years. It was a tiring walk of around 2.5 kms to the cove, but worth all of it. The views from the topmost points of this trek are breathtakingly beautiful as well, enticing us into continuing this expedition. The journey and the destination will blow your mind away. I'm a little short of words here, no amount of words can describe the natural beauty. 

On the way back from Coromandel to Auckland, we went to the abandoned gold mines of Karangahake. A trek through the remains of a gold mine, hoping to find a little piece that'll make you rich overnight. We walked through the dark passages, dripping with water, and the railway paths built at those times. Such fun! 

After reaching Auckland, we went to the Sky Tower for witnessing the tallest tower of the Southern Hemisphere. It was a few days of the Chinese new year, and hence the whole place was decorated with Chinese symbols of celebration. My sister informed me that they illuminated the tower in Saffron, white & green on the Indian Independence Day. I appreciate their sense of togetherness, an example of unity in diversity. 

A special mention to an eatery we visited called the Lord of the Fries. It is one of those only fast food joints that is completely organic and vegan, strictly no animal products and the fries were so crunchy and tasty. Ended up going there twice, a must visit for all vegetarians who visit Auckland. I heard a branch of theirs is in a lot of cities in Australia too! Another thing that needs to be appreciated is the Auckland council's set of libraries. Free of cost, 35 books can be borrowed simultaneously and spread across many locations in Auckland. If you are looking for a specific book and you couldn't find it in the library near you, you can ask for them to transport it to your library free of cost!! It is a dream-come-true to all book lovers - my kind of heaven! (Hence, I ended up finishing 4 books in this short trip). 

I realised one thing in my trip to New Zealand - you don't need a DSLR or be a professional photographer to get amazing photos here. Every photo you click in this magical place can be your next desktop wallpaper. 

Best things about New Zealand for me: The preserved natural beauty, the libraries, the cleanliness, the fresh air, the blue lakes, the extremely polite people, and of course the silver fern :)

In the next few days, we did some last minute shopping. 

With a heavy heart, we bid adieu to one of the most friendliest, prettiest, natural, unexploited, beautiful places I have ever seen. 

A must-visit for all nature lovers !

And, I thank my sister and Jiju for being the perfect hosts and all the hospitality ! :) 

New Zealand Diaries – Auckland City tour

Phew, it was a memorable week. After a day or two of rest following the hectic trip, we carried out local sightseeing in and around Auckland. Auckland is NZ’s most populous city with multicultural people and the financial & commercial centre of NZ. It was the capital of New Zealand until it was replaced by Wellington in 1865. The forecast for the weather in Auckland when we were planning our sightseeing was rain, rain and more rain. Hence, we chose indoor destinations during these days.

We went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum on one of these occasions. Though it is dedicated to the World Wars I & II martyrs majorly, it has exhibits of the local Maori culture and NZ’s natural history as well. Maoris are the indigenous people of New Zealand, who have a unique culture and tradition. The Maoris believed in Mother Nature and considered everything natural sacred. They understood, respected and preserved the various forms of natural energy around them. The Treaty of Waitangi signed with the British government helped save their culture for generations to come. We were even in Auckland on the anniversary of this treaty, the Waitangi day. We had a chance to see Maoris in their traditional attire, and their earlier habitats in the museum. The Maori language uses the same script as modern English with a few tweaks. I learnt a few phrases too: Haere Mai (Welcome), Kia Ora (Be well/ used as a greeting), Wahine (Women, you can guess how I learnt this word) to name a few.

The first floor had the fossils (put together into their original forms) of dinosaurs and other extinct animals found in New Zealand. Now for some fun trivia that I learnt here, most of the flightless birds were in Gondwana, that split into modern day New Zealand and Australia. Flightless birds include, ostrich, emus, kiwis, moa (extinct), penguins, cassowaries etc. One of the theories why the birds became flightless with evolution is the lack of predators. Moa and Kiwis are also considered as wingless birds. Then we went to the memorial section of the museum. This part of the museum is inspiring as well as depressing. So many lives lost – a minute of silence for the numerous lives lost in the World Wars. There was a section with the life story of Anne Frank. I have read the book a long time ago but every time I read about her, it hits me hard. Overall, the museum was an engaging experience to learn about the history of New Zealand.

To experience the flora and fauna of New Zealand, we went to the Auckland Zoo and the Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life aquarium. Auckland Zoo comprises of animals and birds native to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Sri Lanka and South America. I saw for the first time, marsupials (Wallaby), emus and kiwis among numerous others, in this zoo. Kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand and is unique to this country. Kiwis are nocturnal, flightless, colour blind endangered birds, approximately the size of a domestic hen. While we are on the subject of national symbols of New Zealand, another symbol is a fern leaf silver in colour. If you can’t straight away remember it, recollect the jersey of New Zealand cricket team. The silver fern is unique to New Zealand and is very pretty to look at. The upside of the leaf is in the usual green colour (found in other countries as well). However, the uniqueness of this fern is that it turns silver at the bottom side of the leaf. I wish I could carry one home but alas, that won’t work out. I fell in love with the silver fern and it will remain my favourite thing about New Zealand. In the Aquarium, I got to see penguins for the first time as well, along with stingrays, octopuses, seahorses, jellyfish, sharks, turtles, clown fish (Nemo) and other fish. Informative and intriguing, you should definitely visit these places when you are in Auckland if you love animals. In all of these indoor destinations in Auckland, there are interactive media to inspire, intrigue and teach children.

Whenever the weather permitted, we went to the beaches in Auckland – Mission Bay, Muriwai, Piha, Bethells and the North Shore beaches. From the city beaches on the eastern coast in the Pacific Ocean, you can see the grand, looming dormant volcano of the Rangitoto Island. These beaches swept still existent volcano debris to the shore. Muruwai, Piha and Bethells are on the western coast, which is the Tasman Sea. Each beach had their unique feature. On the way to Bethells beach, we pass through desert-like sand dunes formed over time. It is an intriguing phenomenon how a desert can exist so near to the sea. New Zealand is surrounded by Pacific Ocean on all sides. Quiz question, name all the 5 oceans. Keep thinking, google if you have to, but I am not giving you the answer. This also led me thinking, how many oceans I got to glimpse so far. Obvious one, Indian ocean around the Indian Peninsula, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. After a little research, Huntington Beach in Los Angeles flows into a part of Pacific Ocean, the Niagara Falls and Venice in Italy, Adriatic Sea meet the Atlantic Ocean. Yay!

You might be wondering how come I have come to the end of the article about Auckland without mentioning the Sky Tower or the Harbour Bridge. On the week leading to Waitangi Day, we got to witness the light show on the Harbour bridge. It was a spectacular sight with the backdrop of the dark night. The amazing part of the Sky Tower is that, it is visible from many parts of the city, on a clear day, even kilometres away. The view of the city from the ferry (we took one to Devonport) was picturesque. I don't know what it is with me and skylines, always love them, especially at night, be it of our own Mumbai, Singapore, New York City, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Paris, or Auckland.  

This chapter finishes but not my journey. 

Stay tuned, my friend, for more awe-inspiring tales from New Zealand.

Till then, Haere ra!