Auckland Arrival

After hours of waiting in lines and trying to sleep on extremely uncomfortable planes, we arrived in Auckland only two hours later than originally intended. 

We had absolutely no idea where to go from there so we started by hopping on an airport bus to downtown. Unfortunately, making reservations at a hostel to accommodate us in our jet lagged stupor, was something that was never conquered. So we wandered the streets in search of a hostel with any open beds. The one we ended up booking is called Frienz and was one of the few that I had circled in the tour book. Their atmosphere is composed of quirky old fashioned wallpaper and a consistent aroma of cigarettes. This was my first hostel experience and wasn't quite as dirty as I had anticipated. Im sure there's plenty of hostels that do live up to my expectations though. Maybe I'll encounter a few.

The part of town we're in vaguely reminds me of Chinatown in San Francisco. Those cheap, hanging, lit up signs in every tiny storefront. We're also in walking distance of the harbor and ferries to nearby islands. 

Today, we awoke to the grunting of an unfamiliar roommate. I would estimate that he took 2 hours of shuffling and moving and stuffing items into his backpack before finally leaving. Successfully purchased a (really cheap - 2 NZD) tarp for under the tent and a mini notebook for writing addresses and information in. Currently at a modern-ish cafe drinking a latte and eating banana cake. Omnomom :-) Also, they don't refrigerate their eggs here!