Up early to do some backlogged work on the internet and get some photos uploaded. Before I knew it, it was nearly checkout time, and I still had to shower and eat. Logged off, and did just that, but in reverse order. Chatted with Fwad and his brother, Emad. Emad lives in Auckland, but Fwad was just visiting for a couple of weeks. They were heading to the same place I was, so I asked if they minded if I tagged along. They didn’t mind at all, and while Emad showered I headed to the bus station to book my bus to Auckland then back to the hostel to meet up with them.
From the hostel we walked to Te Puia. It was about twenty minutes, which was fine with me – but Fwad’s ankle was giving him trouble. It probably didn’t help much that it was raining. After the walk under not so great conditions it was hard to turn away when we saw the entry fee for the centre. In the end we paid, and joined a guided tour getting underway. The highlight of the park is the Pohutu geyser, and the various hot springs and hot mud pools in the area. I was also quite impressed by the kiwis they had on display. Kiwis are notoriously shy, so I wasn’t expecting to see one at all – even in a caged environment, but we lucked out with a rather active kiwi walking back and forth only inches from the glass. Sadly photographs were not permitted.
After the kiwi pavillion we headed to the Maori meeting house to see the Maori concert. The concert was pretty entertaining and, if tears and screaming are any indication, according to the two year old in front of me, terrifying.
It was pouring rain when we went to leave the pavilion, so we called a cab and headed to Fat Dog for lunch. I had kiwi style bangers and mash, which was tasty. Lamb sausage and mashed potatoes. The potatoes were sweet, but there was no indication that they’d used anything other than regular potatoes.
Headed back to the hostel to book accommodation in Auckland. First place was booked due to a Chemical Brothers concert in town, but I had no trouble at the next place I tried. Finished up my web work on the lobby computers (I really ought to have been keeping receipts for all my internet time).
Grabbed my bags from luggage storage, and headed to the bus station. Got on a small bus to Hamilton, and read for most of the trip. The North Island is pretty, but not nearly as nice as the South Island. In Hamilton we switched to a bigger (double decker) bus. Scenery was nicer on this route, but still doesn’t hold a candle to the south. Still it’s nice being able to take in the scenery without worrying about swerving into oncoming traffic.
In Auckland I quickly got my bearings and walked to the hostel. It was late, and I was hungry – I tried to order some wedges from the hostel bar, but the bartender/manager told me that $5 was too much to pay for wedges and sent me to an Oriental BBQ restaurant around the corner. I went, and had the pork and rice that he recommended. Filling, but I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce. Read for most of the night, then hit the sheets.
