I spent my last night in Tahiti couchsurfing with Sam, though he actually gave me a spare bedroom to myself.  With the open windows all the time, rather large roaches are not uncommon.  Sam managed to squash two, and I surely injured a third before going to sleep.  I didn’t sleep much though being that it was hot, there were big bugs (at least in my mind) running free, and I had to get up at 4:45am for the flight to New Zealand.

We got to the airport at 5:45am, about 2 hours early, though Air Tahiti Nui recommends 3 hours.  I was the 6th to last person in line – a line I waited in for 1.5 hours.  I barely made my flight, so going forward, I’ll always ensure I get to the airport as early as recommended, even if it means waking up at ungodly hours (while still being respectful of my host if I have a free ride).  I ran into Lucy again – her initial flight had been canceled and delayed 2 days.  The flight was rather uneventful.  If I haven’t mentioned it, Air Tahiti Nui’s service has been great, and I’ve enjoyed the food too.

I got myself to the Auckland Central Backpackers (hostel) quite easily via Airbus, and was immediately overwhelmed by the signs and ads.  It’s a hostel on steroids – big Internet cafe, travel booking service, lounges, several stories of dorms and rooms, backpackers everywhere.  I didn’t expect to feel overwhelmed entering an English-speaking country, and found myself in bed during the afternoon.  I remembered doing this in Tahiti – it took me about 48 hours to get past the jetlag.  I felt a bit off not going out on a Friday night in New Zealand’s biggest city, however I quickly succumbed to sleep.

Saturday was marked by a short walk to the Sky Tower, and little walks broken up by naps.  I also decided on the backpacker bus trip I was going to take – STRAY from Auckland to Christchurch.  It’s secondary to the bigger one – The Kiwi Experience – however the latter is supposedly more party-oriented, and I wasn’t especially interested in that type of atmosphere.  STRAY seemed to get off the beaten track a bit more too.  I honestly didn’t account for the cost of transport around this fine country.  The bus trip I booked is about the cheapest for both islands, between the two big companies, and ran me about $500 USD.

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