Auckland

Frustratingly the weather the next morning was the best it had been in ages, yet the absolute last bus I could get to Auckland running behind us had no space for me...so I still didn´t get to do the crossing.

Checking-in at the Base hostel anywhere in New Zealand always takes a long time, though on this day in Auckland they were really highlighting their go-slow ability! Walking to the bathroom though I found out why - a bunch of policemen were hanging around just outside of a room. The two girls behind me in the queue came up just as I was heading past, trying to get into the room where the policemen were. Not entirely speaking English they pushed open the door to reveal a dead man lying on the floor...not exactly the room you´d expect to be checked into. Unsurprisingly they demanded a change of rooms.

After a wander around the marina and dinner on the rooftop terrace at the hostel, James, Valerie, Jana and I tried to hit the town. You´d have thought that a city the size of Auckland would have a lot going on whatever the night of the week, but alas Wellington it isn´t. In the end we found a little Irish pub with a guitarist playing absolute classics so we were well away!

Next morning I went for a brief wander around Auckland, up around the cultural centre and the skytower, from which people were throwing themselves on what looked like a cheating-form of bungee. Softies!

That evening I continued the theme of not doing much once again...heading to the cinema with Martin and Nicky to see Stranger than Fiction. Completely different from anything I´d ever seen before we all though it was great! Returning to the hostel it was a bit of a surprise to see what was either a drunk or drugged-up girl running around every room on every floor bashing on the door trying to find every single last item of her stuff which had apparently been stolen from her in her sleep. OK so maybe not so strange in Base for someone to get so wasted they forgot which room they were in, but it was quite a spectacle!

Next day it was all about using-up the final few dollars I had left on a few things to eat such as the totally sensational Mephis Meltdown Big Bikkie icecream which I really hope is going to be available in Britain by the time I get back!