I headed for Auckland the next day. We passed through a small town (I forget the name) that is close to where the Shire from Lord of the Rings was built and filmed. As such this nowheresville latched on to it's new found claim to fame, with a little hobbit house built in town to serve as an info and tour centre and a 'welcome to Hobbition' sign put up on the road into town. We were only there for a pie stop, but the quaint signs made for a good picture. Also along the way was Rotorua, that many people stop at but unfortunately I didn't have the time for. Well, maybe not that unfortunate. The town is also known as Rotten-rua on account of the sulphuric geysers nearby that give the town the permanent smell of an off fart. Apparently it takes a week to get used to. I didn't fancy finding out.

On the way I got chatting to Adam, who I'd met a few times ony the bus but never really hung out with. He'd recently been dumped by his girlfriend back home and was up for a night out to forget his woes. I had a very early bus the next day as I was off the to nearby Bay of Islands for a night, but screw it, there was a man in need and I fancied a drink anyway. The trouble was, for a million plus city, Auckland was dead. We started in the hostel bar playing pool and gulping down cheap pitchers before somehow ending up in a pool competition which we nearly won (well Adam did anyway) before moving out into the city. We tried a few bars around town but all were devoid of activity that might be considered fun. We wondered about until we found an Irish bar (where else) where a live acoustic duo were playing and the beer was flowing. It was full of suited city folk, but we didn't let that put us off as we danced like idiots in our poor traveler's rags. Some people started a ruckus, which I found perplexing given the numerous immense Maori bouncers who were standing around waiting to, quite literally, throw such people out. We stumbled back about three, with a quick break for pie en route (yes, it even replaces greasy kebabs as drunk food). Adam asked for a fiver to call his ex. I knew two things about this situation. Firstly, in his current state is was a really bad idea (no matter how poetic you may feel you are while drunk, you're simply not and you're just spouting garbled rubbish), and, secondly, I knew I'd never see the money again. But who was I to stand in his way? Unfortunately we didn't exchange contact details and I didn't see him again - but thats the way traveling goes. You make good friends for an evening and then move on. I went back to my room, where everyone else was asleep. In an effort to be quiet I predictably made outrageous amounts of noise. My alarm was set for 6:30. At 7 I got shaken by a room mate (I hadn't actually met any of them). I'd slept through half an hour of my alarm blaring, with the other's being too polite to tell me to shut it off. I sensed their resentment for me and my noisy antics, but luckily I was off. Off that very minute in fact, as my bus left in five.

The Bay of Islands is to the north of Auckland. It is a quiet and wealthy area, blessed by good weather and beautiful scenery, primarily the one hundred plus eponymous islands of the eponymous bay. I went there to spend the night mainly to get out of Auckland, which is a generic Western city lacking in charm or character. It was a short trip, but I preferred the small towns here so I think it was time well spent. In the afternoon I joined some of my coach mates on the 'Excitor', essentially a reinforced boat with an outsized engine stuck on the back, which the crew gun at reasonably large swells of the bay. They make the trip slightly educational by taking you to, and through, the Hole in the Rock, a massive stone arch formed through one the the Bay's islands. After all that excitment (haha) I had a quiet night, with a barbecue and Super 14 rugby on the TV, all great fun. The next morning I went a little crazy, doing all my washing (which was all my clothes) before heading back down to Auckland. In my new room there was a German guy who spent his entire time on his bed playing with his laptop. All day and all night. The only time I saw him off his bed was when he went outside to smoke once. My buddy Adrian had arrived in Auckland though, and along with some others he'd met we went to see Iron Man (again). It was still good. I spent my remaining days in Auckland quietly, not wanting to lose too much cash. I wondered the city, which did little to change my impression of it. Soon enough it was time to leave the country though. The cheeky b******s make you pay a $25 'departure tax' though. Ah well, onto Fiji...