Arrival in Auckland

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So I arrived in Auckland after, got the blue bus from the airport to BASE hostel and received my working holiday package. This included a sim card, free internet for 2 weeks and a room in the hostel and free breakfast. It also got me help with my CV and a year's subscription to the jobsearch website. I was told that the next morning I could have the introductory talk and begin receiving help with finding jobs. So I settled into the room, began finding where things were, ate out for the evening. The next day I went to the meeting and started sorting my CV out. I was less than impressed that it took over 2 days before my CV was checked and the only help I received was useless. This is not a product I can recommend (it has since been changed a lot as the people who run job search keep changing, but I didn't get a single job through the program and never received feedback on the single interview that they got me). I began the job search and spent most of my days sending out applications and CVs. In the evenings we went for drinks, I won several drinks vouchers, through poker, Sumo Zorb and other aspects of life in the hostel (turns out i'm very competitive). I also went Cycling around Waiheke with Danielle whom I met in the hostel. It was an exhausting day, Waiheke has lots of hills.

I finally got a job, working for a charity, doing face to face fundraising. The working conditions and living conditions (anyone who has lived in a hostel will understand) led to a severe chest infection, I was off work for 2 weeks. When I finally went back to work, I was still having pain in my chest when I took deep breaths, on top of that I was walk long distances in the rain and my health was not going to get any better in these conditions. The job also got to me, making me feel very depressed and unhappy. All I saw of Auckland was bleak and grey and I wanted out. I quit the day after going back to work. Then booked myself on the next bus out of Auckland.

On the friday, we went out to celebrate quitting my job, and leaving! There was a competition on and I won a bungy jump off Auckland bridge. It seemed a fitting way to leave the city so I booked it for sunday morning. It was one of the most terrifying things I have done in my life. Your legs get strapped together and then you waddle along this long plank, then you have to dive off, no one pushes you, just a lot of pep talks. I think it was 15min of pep talks! But I did it, I may have gotten back in tears, but I was so proud of myself for doing it. We had a breakfast and then I packed. I was leaving on the Kiwi Bus in the morning, starting the next leg of the adventure.

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