Haare Mai

Saturday 3rd January 2009

Well the day we were dreading had arrived and we had everything packed ready to move out of the cottage for a week,this meant a return to the backpacker lifestyle and the prospect of this didn't excite either of us!!!

Oaklands was a typical backpacker place in the leafy suburb of Mt Eden,but fairly typical as these places go,fairly plain and dimly lit,but the biggest surprise was our room which was on a slant so when you entered the room you sped up towards the bed!!!

We dumped what things we had brought with us (we left most in storage back at the cottage) and hit the high street for brunch.It had threatened to pour down all day but luckily after lunch we made it back to the room before the heavens opened and there we sat for the next few hours watching the rain bounce down and the ginger cat taking shelter under a car on the street,while Mel napped I managed to have a good crack at the giant holiday crossword in the Herald but fell short on a few NZ related questions..

The hostel was in a great location for the high street and we had a bit of cabin fever so we took a walk to a bar and had a couple of drinks before dinner,Mel had decided on pizza so we picked up a couple from Domino's and took them back to the hostel to wash them down with a glass of wine.

Welcome back to hostel life!!

Sunday 4th January 2009

Well the slanting floor came back and got me last night as I spent all night squashed a gainst the wall as everytime I moved into the middle of the bed I rolled back to the wall so eventually I just went with it.

The last time we were in Auckland (July 07) Arnold and Vi tokk us up Mt Eden for a view of the city but unfortunately the weather was horrendous and we didn't see too much,so as it was right on our doorstep we took a ride to the summit.Today was impossibly hot and humid and they have predicted the best summer for 10 years here in NZ so it was nice at the top to get the wind in your face.It was a perfectly clear day and we could see the whole city and MT Rangitoto,and of course across to Devonport on the North Shore.

The trouble with temporary hostel life is the lack of routine and fridge space to store things.After taking in the views on Mt Eden we drove to Sylvia Park Mall to buy a connector so we can have the IPod on in the car,as we have heard enough NZ radio and it's not too good and with going to Napier tomorrow (6 hour drive) it will be worth it!!!

Back at the hostel it had cooled down enough for us to go and have a walk around the area to check it out,a lot of the houses were similar in style to Devonport,lovely old villas with the only difference being there was no sea close by...

Monday 5th january 2009

I woke uo with the wallpaper print pressed into my face and got showered ready for the drive to Napier.It sits on the East coast and is in the Hawkes Bay region (famous for it's wines so check them out in your local supermarket) and also it's Art Deco buildings.The place was flattened in 1931 by an earthquake and was rebuilt in the style of the time-hence art deco.

The first few hours of the drive are pretty mundane freeway then it starts to cut acroos the country towards Taupo.We stopped in Taupo for lunch and ate it by the lake which is in fact an old volcano filled with water and NZ's largest lake.We were amazed how busy it was but last time we were here it had been winter.

The drive continued South East through lush forest till we hit the coast for the last 20km into Napier.The hostel we are staying in is run by a guy from Darlington,but I am pleased to say is excellent with a room on the level and very clean and tidy too. We have a few days here to explore the area and it is our first visit so we are looking forward to it.Will be in touch again soon.

Lots of Love

M & M

xx