Fush and Chups and Auckland

Baxter

The few days that we spent in Muriwai Beach were really wonderful. Guy and Bridget and their two kids Hana (7) and Baxter (5) were so welcoming. The kids showed us all around their house and yard, and insisted that we play with them. Their garden was amazing, and had a chicken coop, vegetable garden, big trampoline and rope swing. Absolutely beautiful. I went on two runs during my time there, and despite the intense humidity, both were pleasant experiences. There are several trails that run through the native bush and have long flights of stairs. The noise of the cicadas on the trail was even more intense, because the trails were so narrow. The view of the beach from the top of the trailhead was breathtaking, and I'm quite certain that I could spend much more time in Muriwai. But, today we decided to head into the city center part of Auckland prior to our flight to Dunedin this coming Saturday.

Hana

Bridget and the kids dropped us off at a bus stop and we headed into Auckland. We had no idea where to get off in order to get to our hostel, but the bus driver was friendly enough and dropped us off then gave us directions on how to find the street we needed. I had all four of my bags, and Kelsey had her two, so we headed off to find our hostel, Base Auckland. I had looked it up the night before, so we knew the general direction to go. We walked downhill for about a mile or so, and then finally found the street. However, the sign over the door said "Base ACB" which was the name of another hostel in my guide book. We asked some other girls in the lobby if it was Base Auckland, and they had the same Lonely Planet guide that I did, so they directed us to another location which was about 6 blocks farther down. So, we headed back out into the heat and walked the 6 blocks. When we got there, Base Auckland wasn't there either, but there was a place called Nomads, and after asking the shopkeeper next door, he said that Nomads had been called Base Auckland a few years before but had changed their name. We went in there, and they told us that Base ACB had taken the name Base Auckland, at least for online bookings, when they had changed their name. At this point, everything was so bleak that it was funny, and despite the serious weight of my backpack, the fact that my smaller backpack kept falling off of my suitcase, and Kelsey's serious foot blisters, we trudged back up the hill and finally checked into the right hostel. After getting into our room and relaxing for a bit, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner, so we headed out to Occidental Belgian Beer Cafe. After Kelsey's fish and chips (or as the Kiwis say it, "fush and chups"), my chicken salad, and one cold Stella Artois each, we headed back. The feel of the hostel is nice and relaxed, and it's somewhat comforting to be around other travelers.

I'm looking forward to exploring Auckland tomorrow sans luggage, and am also thoroughly excited to get to Dunedin and have a more permanent living situation.