BIG NEWS - Reunited with Alex in New Zealand!!!!!!!

After a LONG, gruelling flight ... via Dubai and Melbourne - the Madagascar crew find themselves in the beautiful country of New Zealand!!!

As a lover of nature, wildlife ... but most importantly, volcanoes - Gloria is super excited!!!  Marty and Melman are not only excited to skydive and bungy etc etc, but for the group to be reunited with Alex the Lion, who has been in America all this time!!

Look who fell out of the sky?!

It's Alex!!! Flying like a bird with Kim over the beautiful Lake Wanaka :)

So, what have we been up to in New Zealand so far??

Albert Park ... we saw some girls climb in, swim
and drink the water as a dare for their 21st Birthday!!

I'll cover Auckland in today's blog update.  Auckland was very cosmopoliton... quite like the UK but as it's much newer, has more modern less traditional buildings.  We walked all over town, sat by the harbour, visited Albert Park and went up the SkyTower.  

 We even managed to watch a show at the Civic Theatre - The Illusionists.  The theatre itself was beautiful, with Indian inspired motifs in all the public foyers including seated Buddhas, twisted columns and domed ceilings.

View from the Sky Tower in the evening...
looking over the central CBD of Auckland

The show featured 7 internationally renowned magicians performing a mix of unbelievable optical illusions including acts of levitation, mind-reading and death defying escapes.

We also explored the area around Auckland - going to Mount Eden and also taking a ferry to the beautiful volcanic island of Rangitoto.

In a lava cave

Rangitoto is the youngest of the islands from the Hauraki Gulf and emerged from the sea around 700 years ago in a series of volcanic explosions.  It is visible from the mainland and looks particularly impressive from the skytower.  Rangitoto's name has been translated to mean the day the blood of Tamatekapua was shed, relating to a major Maori battle at Islington Bay about 1350. 

The island is uninhabited, and has an element of tranquillity.  There is solid cooled lava all over the island, and lava caves which hikers are able to explore.  

A geographers paradise!  Who knows when this beautiful dormant volcano will erupt again ... maybe next time we visit, the land will look different...

Jumping for joy

We also visited Mount Eden - which is the highest volcano in the Auckland region.  It has erupted several times, with the last occasion 15,000 years ago.  

As you can see, the view of Auckland CBD was great - despite the rain clouds!  Mount Eden is known as Maungawhau in Maori, the English name honours the first Earl of Auckland George Eden.   The huge crater is 50m deep!!!!

Mount Eden crater