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We arrived in Auckland after midnight. Wasted time finding the hotel shuttle bus. I read out directions from domestic terminal instead of international which took us to where they collected the bins. After a bit of recalibration we eventually found the pick up spot (happened to be straight outside where we had originally exited).
The closest hotel was the Novetel. A few weeks back I said that I wouldn't pay $250 a room for 5 hrs of broken sleep. When I suggested we stay in the airport until we picked up the hire car in the morning, Alex called me a tight arse. So the Ibis Budget was the compromise. The downside was it was a kilometre from the airport. I was the only one who thought a brisk walk at 1:30am would be good. Everyone else disagreed refusing to lug large suitcases that distance, so the shuttle it was. The shuttle was called the Yellow Bus....I think because it was yellow. By the time we booked into the hotel it was nearing 2am...but hey we were still on Aussie time and it felt like 11pm (the day before). The Rooms at the Ibis were budget sleepers designed for brief overnight stays. Alex was amazed someone would call a hotel after a filthy bird like an ibis. She referred to them as bin chickens. After just a few hours sleep we decided not to have the budget breakfast and went upmarket. The photo is my poached eggs, fennel sausage, bacon and a beetroot stain (more like a beetroot smile). The beet is a very underrated vegetable and I think from now on it's something I'll have for breakfast more often.
We arrived in Rotorua in mid afternoon. The sulphorous gas smell is everywhere. The Airbnb lady must hang her towels on the line as Ali was drying his hair and thought someone had farted in it. Only having a couple of hours before dark we went to the Rainbow Springs Sanctuary to see the Kiwi's. Being nocturnal they have a nocturnal Kiwi house and trick them into thinking its night. I assume they put the lights on at night so they gets some sleep. If they weren't protected I think they would be good eating.
br>Today we went to Hobbiton Movie Set and then went out for the evening for some Māori culture and a Hungi...but that's a blog for another time.
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Shaz Sounds like us, reading directions, we paid a fortune to stay in a castle overnight, we got sick of looking for, accomodation in the rain. The Ibis is sacred in Egypt.