Nearing the end of day 2 in Auckland and I have to admit that stress levels are high. I knew it would be expensive, but I'm realizing it will be much harder to travel freely and really experience New Zealand without dropping more money than I'd ever like to. The cheapest hostel I found in Auckland was $20 per night for a bed in a 12 bed dorm and offers only barebone ammenities. Internet access and towels are extra and the shower might work if you're lucky. The hostels here have kitchens but the groceries are expensive too...
After hours of internal deliberation at the library I've decided to take a bus in the morning to Lake Taupo (buses are pricey as well). There's a bunch of climbing there and hopefully I can just camp near the water. From the bus station in Taupo I'll have to figure out how to get to Kinloch. Then from Kinloch it's a 2 hour hike to the bay and the climbing so I'll also have to figure out how to handle water and food while I'm out there (I'm also trying to ignore that my pack weighs 45 pounds).
The biggest unseen aspect of traveling is most certainly all of the logistics required on a daily basis. Maybe I'm still learning how best to do it, but it's quite draining. It has been just under a month and there's already a small part of my brain thinking about home.
Must power through! I think the raw beauty of the south island will restore my batteries once I get there. The photos of the snowpocalypse back home certainly help too.
The warfs were kinda cool.
This massive volcano crater atop Mt. Eden was definitely my favorite part of Auckland (nice views and it's free!).
Talk to y'all in 4 or 5 days!
hang in there Carrot! the amount of work that you put in to plan will pay off when you see all those beautiful rocks, mountains, and scenic landscapes! as usual, I love reading your blog. I enjoyed reading all about Thailand and look forward to reading about your adventures in New Zealand!! Toodlessss and eat more ice cream!
ReplyDeleteThanks Iris! You were right, some mountains and rocks and landscapes was all I needed. Feeling much better now and very excited for the rest of NZ. Thanks for keeping up with the blog! Knowing you and others are taking time out of your busy schedules to follow my ramblings certainly keeps me motivated. I hope everything is going well for you and look forward to catching up when I'm home this summer!
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