Friday and Saturday in the city

Day 3, Friday-
Today we went to the Auckland Museum... we saw Maori artifacts and the famous Maori Hacka dance. We saw a kiwi bird... but it was stuffed, and an elephant that had to be put down because it was not friendly to children. After a few hours there, we went to Mexicali Fresh, similar to Chipotle, then took a long elevator ride up into the Sky Tower where we had panoramic views of the city. Then it was off to a church on the south side of Auckland to help out with their after-school kids program where we hung out and played games with the students. After that we went to the North Shore to watch our first rugby game and fellowship with some of the youth and family of Shore Grace Church.

Day 4, Saturday-
Today started off with a rousing 15K walk-a-thon with some of the members from Streams Church (we were told it was going to be a 5K) The people we met were from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and other Pacific island nations. After the walk we had tea and breakfast. They were very welcoming and made us feel like we were family. Later we went to Mt. Wellington (an extinct volcano in the city) and saw more great views of the city. Then we drove down to southern Auckland to attend the dedication of Papakura Wesleyan Church. The church doubles as a community center for the lowest socioeconomic area in New Zealand. They are aiming to reach out to the families and youth of this area through many different activities. We then went to the home of the head pastor of another church, where we met more people who are involved in the wesleyan churches in this area.