The Kiwi experience...

Hello from Auckland! I arrived two days ago and have been adjusting to city life again... much different from the slow-paced island life of the past several days. I am staying at a hostel in the central part of the city. The location is ideal but the hostel is... ugh. It is a huge, 400+ bed place that feels more like a campus dormitory than a hostel. Think Jester at UT or Warren Towers at BU. But hey, at least I have a place to lay my head at night. Oh, and here's the view across the street:

There's a Starbucks on this block as well... and a Burger King.

I've spent much of my time hanging out with some girls I met at the hostel: walking around the city, doing some job searching, joining the library. Today, Louise and I trekked out to Waiheke Island, one of the beautiful islands right off the Auckland coast.

The best mullet ever, seen on the ferry to Waiheke.

Waiheke has great beaches (though the water is quite chilly!), beautiful vineyards, and fancy resorts.



The beach at Onetangi, Waiheke



Wine-tasting at one of the many vineyards

I've also been fighting a cold the past few days, which is kind of a nuisance to deal with while traveling. It's not too bad though. The worst was having to fork over NZ$20.99 (over US $16) for simple cold medicine at the pharmacy.

I hope to venture outside of Auckland soon and experience the other places in New Zealand. Will keep you posted!