Thats it... im moving on. This waiting sucks


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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland
March 15th 2007
Published: March 15th 2007
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I think the theme of today was pack all the $71t you can carry on your back and get moving. Im sick of waiting. i did however get a kiwibank account, and HSBC can kiss my pale white darier, since KIWIbank only wanted me to put down 50$ as a balance, while HSBC wanted 3000$... wtf. I told the man at the counter (politely) to go screw himeself, i was going to another bank. I'm sure he lifted his nose and wandered away thinking of me as another of the lowly traveling masses who care nothing for class and comfort.
Well, i do care for comfort. Infact too much. I have mailed my tent home today...at another 50$, and then upon returning to my dorm, realized i forgot to include my towel, hoodie, and shirt, but its too late. They wont fit into my pack, and i have given them to the salvation army, so at least they will keep someone warm, and I am sure they will always wonder if the towel actually came from maui as it states(yes it did) =)
Well, i have decided to continue on with my tour that was paid for almost three weeks ago. And i will be heading south. I cannot be bothered (i love that saying... thanks to the english!) to wait for my IRD(tax) number, so i will be phoning the hostel and asking them to open my mail in two weeks.*shrug* i wish i would have thought of that a week or so ago, but at that time i really wasnt feeling like traveling too far from auckland.
As for tonight, i have stowed most of my gear in my bag, picked up a fleece for 12$ (versus the 200$ ones they sell at the outdoor stores that are the same material), and a few long sleeve undershirts. I have heard that the north island is worm during the day but gets down to 8 degrees in some places at night. And i certainly wont be in the city. Sad to see the hoodie go to charity, but it was mostly cotton, and would have soaked up any moisture. and i cant afford that.
I also met up with Alice (the artist) here in auckland in foodmart. It was nice to see her again, but i am moving on tomorrow. Talk about poor timing.

Well, i also have pilfered from the 'free food' area of the cupboard a can of fruit coctail, and a package of vanilla creme pudding. Mmmm... the pudding is setting up as we speak, and i will have to find someone to share it with because its more than i can eat by myself.

TIP: when traveling in hostels, know when the kitchen staff clean out the old fridge stuffs, because they toss it into the free food section, and if you keep your eye open there are some good items to be had.

Also, i would like to thank the three english guys that vacated my room yesterday morning, they left behind almost 11$ in change, one beer, a maxim type magazine, and lots of garbage. I quickly snagged it all, and so that paid for a few groceries, entertained myself for a few hours of reading, and am currently enjoying a 'cold one'.
As chris once told me 'bend down and pick up a quarter and you are working for less than minimum wage'... well, it only took me 5 minutes to make 11 dollars, and at the end of the work session i got a free beer, so i was making well over 100$ an hour. For once, it was more than my old consulting fee per hour. =)

Well, have a good one guys here is my itinerary for the next day:

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http://www.straytravel.com/routes.php?Pass=MAX
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Day 1.
Travel Day: Auckland to Hahei Beach (The Coromandel)
Depart from Auckland between 7.45am and 8.15am. We go up Mount Eden (an extinct volcano) for one last look at the sights of the city. We then head south stopping at the Bombays to pick up your FREE cultural experience (kumara) before travelling towards the Coromandel Peninsula via the old colonial town of Thames. You have the afternoon to choose between the two hour + (return) walk to Cathedral Cove, or we strongly recommend you to do the sea kayaking trip which costs $60 (discount included); it takes in many of the area’s volcanic attractions. If the tide is right we go to Hot Water Beach for a chance to dig a hole in the sand to soak in the hot geothermal water. This evening we stay at a place with hostel, camp and cabin alternatives at the beach in Hahei. You have the option of chipping in and having your driver cook a Kiwi BBQ for the group tonight.
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15th March 2007

Contiki
Hey... sounds like its all getting sort of complicated!!!! once you start getting tax numbers its just not fun any mmore... i'm planning on heading over to nz at the end of may and am thinking of a contiki tour, have you heard anything about them???
15th March 2007

i gave paul paul and steve to your link
hey i gave the pauls and steve the link i bumped into them on line last night and they where asking about you . also have fun traveling and good job on the 100 dollars an hour job . if only we could make that kind of money all the time ah . well take care and most of all have fun .
17th March 2007

Contiki
Maybe, there are three sort of tour companys here. 1) stray (straytravel.com) 2) magic and 3) kiwi experience. All are pretty good they are about the same. They mostly go to the same places. If you go in may make sure that there are daily departures, and or that you get a discount because of the end of the season. And when u gals come over to NZ give me a hollar. I'd love to go have a beer with the both of you. you gals are a blast!

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