Tuesday - Rushing to Auckland for voting papers

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Due to a field hockey tournament booked that weekend, on we had to go and again our dear GPS sent us through the countryside. We were on gravel roads for awhile which was nerve racking . Then we discovered it was set to take us the route that was the shortest distance, not the fastest route. We were heading for south of Auckland and really did want to arrive before dark but not at this rate we wouldn't. We had to put our trust in the dumb thing as we didn't have the most detailed maps to go by if we turned it off. When we missed a turn and found ourselves doing the same road again, I was not a impressed. Finally we did get to a main roadway and we were headed in the right direction. At one point we were behind a motorcyclist who had his dog standing on the back as he zipped along. I was terrified to get anywhere near him. Poor dog, though he had great balance. At long last we made it to Auckland and our first stop was the Canadian consulate, but no luck they were closed. We are hoping to vote but we'll see how circumstances work with us! On we went and when we get to the next Top Ten we are again foiled by people on holiday. The motor hotel they send us to is ridiculous in price so we decide to drive on away from the city. Hamilton is the next big city and it is 2.5 hours away so we hope for something in between. Again we find that names on the map are just a blink of an eye town with no accommodation for a long time. When we get to a town called Huntly, we pass one motel and decide to stop at the next one. We circle around awhile and decide to go back and check out the one we had seen. Success, they had room. Later, reading the motel brochure we discover that it is the only motel between Auckland and Hamilton!

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