Why yes, I'm back in Auckland. It all seemed like a good idea at the time - it seemed as though I would have no luck selling the van down south, and as I needed to sell it I decided to drive north. It was all the Van For Sale ads with the prices furiously crossed out got to me. I flipped a coin between a)getting a job or b)driving north. North won so north I went. Pretty amazing drive though, I went on a different route and did it over a few days - great views. I tried to take some pictures but they were very dissapointing (rubbish camera). So, anyway, here I am in Auckland.
I'm staying in a chaotic hostel on the same street as the one I stayed in before. Possibly strangest hostel everywhere - I had to speak to the manager using the phone in the hallway, and he then directed me to the freezer where my key was - bizarre. The place is a bit of a tip, but it has an extensive vid collection and free internet, so I suppose it's all good.
I've been working my way round the hostels putting up my signs. The other ads for cars list higher prices than mine - which makes me feel more reassured. I also finally got round to buying a cassette player, which was a bit of an achievement in itself, as it is nigh impossible to get the buggers as all the shops these days only sell CD players. I bought the player online and then drove all across town to Mt Albert to pick it up.
So I will sell my van, get a cheap flight to Christchurch and then, finally, go round the South Island. Fingers crossed for a quick sale!
So, back to where you started. Hope you can sell Rodders.
ReplyDeleteWe are back in the UK after a manic return journey. Will fill you in on that later.
Well done Liz, I knew you would have no problems getting a job. XX Ma
Hey Katie. This may be a dumb question, but can't you take Rodders to the South Island? Maybe there's a ferry or something. We're off on our travels next month and I can't wait! Your blog has kept the dream alive through the last dreary few months of selling the house. Much inspired, cheers! Lynda
ReplyDeleteL&J -
ReplyDeleteNot a dumb question. Unfortunately each journey on the ferry costs 250 - that's five hundred bucks return. Bit pricey.
Glad my random entries inspire; am looking forward to reading your travel blog!
One our friends on Alonnisos told us this joke about a dialogue between air traffic control and the arrivals announcer at an airport:
ReplyDeleteControl: We've just been informed that flight 2085 is due at 11:13.
Announcer: Which airline is that?
Control: Is that important?
Announcer: Yes, because if it's Lufthanser, I will announce the arrival time as 11:13; if it's Air France, I'll say that its due before midday; and if it's Olympic, that it might be arriving sometime this afternoon or this evening.
The only problem is that this wasn't a joke -- it was reality. We checked in an hour before take-off because the plane was "on time". It was then 30 mins to take off for the next 3 hrs. The local's knew better. They knew that they could wait until 30 mins after the plane actually landed to get to the airport, because it would still take over an hour to turn it around.
Net result: one missed connection and an extra overnight stay. What pissed me off is that if they were at least honest about the delay we could have at least moved the onward connection, instead of just missing it.
Still the break was wonderful, and this totally laid back approach to life does have its advantages. Dxx