Return to Auckland

Today we drove our last bit of our journey from Hamilton to Auckland. In total we have driven 876km/544miles this week. It has been the perfect amount of driving, about 1-2 hours each day. It has been such an eventful week. We went caving in Waitomo, went hiking in the Tongariro National park, white water rafted in Turangi, visited an animal farm and thermal pools in Taupo, went zorbing in Rotorua, were hobbity on the Hobbiton movie set, and stayed in a 4-star hotel in Hamilton.

I'd say Isabelle and I did a pretty good job driving, if I do say so myself. We didn't crash, or even have any "close calls", and we managed to return the car in the same condition as when we first got it. It really didn't take long to adapt to being on the other side of the road. We took turns driving, and that worked out well. I almost preferred driving; that meant you didn't have to sit in the passenger seat, and be in charge of the music. When in charge, you question every song, and really start doubting your taste in music. Do they like this song? Are they singing? Why aren't they singing? Should I switch? Should I wait to switch? Why aren't they singing?! Oh, so nerve-wracking being the DJ. 

Sydney was the perfect passenger; she always sat in the back (despite being offered the front seat many times), and was happy as a clam. We initially thought that Sydney wasn't able to drive the rental car because she was too young. As it turned out, she could drive here. As long as you had a license, you were good to go! Isabelle and I have been mentally preparing ourselves for driving on the opposite side of the road since we booked the rental about a month ago. Sydney wasn't too keen on driving, so we just pretended we didn't hear the info about her being able to drive. 

We returned Charlie (the 2000 Nissan Pulsar) and Bertha (the GPS) to Snap Drive Rentals at around 2pm. It was sad... Sydney and Isabelle almost cried (hah, just kidding).

 Standing in the car rental reception was so weird; it seems like we just got here. It's surreal that a week ago we were getting all our ducks in a row, and getting ready to leave for New Zealand. In two days we will be getting on a flight back to Sydney, rushing home to repack our backpacks, and heading back to the airport to catch a flight to Cairns to meet up with some other friends. 

The nice rental guy, Mark, drove us to the Domestic Terminal so we could take the bus in to the city center. After a quick 40-minute bus ride, we got off at Queen Steet, and made our way to the hostel we booked. We checked into Jucy Hotel (did they misspell "juicy" on purpose?). It isn't as spacious as our airport-of-a-hotel-room we had at the 4-star hotel last night, but it certainly will suffice for the next two nights. I love the nice, high ceilings. We also have more than enough sleeping space; we have two twin beds and one queen bed. We voted that Sydney got the queen bed today since she has been sitting in the back seat this whole week. 

I wonder if Sydney will take advantage of the extra space, and sprawl out like Isabelle did last night... 

After a quick nap, we went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant. Not very much was open today seeing as it is Easter Sunday. The pulled pork sandwich, chicken parmagiano, and burger were good though. Food was highly appreciated and needed after a long day (i.e. we were all getting a little food-deprived and cranky). 

As we were looking for stuff to do in Auckand brochures and on the internet, we realized our clothes have hindered us in doing some things. We're all dressed like we're about to go to the gym, so we can't really go to any place that is even remotely fancy. We thought maybe we'd see a show here in Auckland, go to a comedy club, or even just have a nice dinner. But alas, our attire would make us stick out like a sore thumb. It's mainly our shoes that give us away; brightly colored Asics don't screen "I dressed up this evening!" If we had flip flops and a sweater, the running tights could possibly pass as black pants. Packing light does have it's downfalls... It also has it's perks though. On the bright side, we've only had a small backpack to keep track of. Also, it only takes about 2 minutes to get ready in the morning. There's not very many choices that need to be made, and the big decision is between wearing the Macquarie hoodie or the Nike running half zip. It's amazing we still smell so good (we smell like a fresh bouquet of flowers, of course). 

Due to our backpacker wardrobe, we went to yet another cinematic adventure this evening. I don't think I've ever been to the movies three times in one week before. I guess there's a first for everything! We saw The Grand Budapest Hotel this evening, and we enjoyed it. 

Tomorrow is our last full day in New Zealand, so we are going to make the most of it. We have a few fun things planned!  

Love, 

Suzy