Monster breakfasts, Jet Boats and Seafood

Friday was a pretty open and unplanned day, which was unusual for us. We left it that way intentionally to see if there was anything we wanted to do in the city. And it turns out there was.

After some helpful TripAdvisor research, i stumbled across Major Sprouts, which sounds like a health food place but really wasn't (or didn't have to be). The boys ordered pancakes that came with ice cream, toffee, dried berries and.... wait for it.... cotton candy!!! And my salmon on smashed avocado toast was artfully arranged in the shape of a rose. Steve's more traditional hearty breakfast was delicious too. Needless to say we didn't leave hungry.

   

We decided to walk the waterfront and try to burn off some of that sugar. Once again the weather was stunning. We meandered to the harbor to check on the option of a boat ride. We happened upon a worker inside the Auckland Jet Boat company, who told us she could book us for a ride at 2:00. So we spent a couple hours at the Maritime Museum, shopped around the downtown for a bit and then came back for our ride.

Jet boats were invented in New Zealand and they take them seriously. After donning life vests and being trained on how to grab the handle, brace our feet and hold on for dear life, our driver (Julian) took us out for a little spin.

And spin around we did; after high speed on the flat open open, Julian would kill the motor, crank the wheel and submerge the front of the boat into the water, jacking up the back and passengers in it. We definitely got wet, we definitely smiled a lot and we definitely gripped those handles.

At one point we stopped just under the bridge to watch a bungee jumper take flight off the underbelly of the bridge. Crazy town! I enjoyed the view from the boat and have no desire to do anything like that myself.

After a short break, we walked back down to the waterfront and dined at Harbourside, a lovely seafood restaurant with amazing service and spectacular food. The people in the table adjacent were actually from Woodinville (!).