Today we had the intention of sightseeing within the Auckland CBD. Our first challenge was to find an appropriate place to park in order to catch some form of public transport to the city. Our first attempt at doing this failed as we found ourselves, thanks to Google maps, at a train station in an industrial complex that had no public parking. Thankfully, after scouring the train route maps we found ourselves at a public train station and more miraculously we found parking just around the corner.
We made our way into the city by electric train, but forgot to buy tickets, which we rectified on arrival. We headed for what we thought was going to be an interesting stroll. What we ended up finding was a public square with bean bags, the historical ferry building at the quay, lots of traffic and not too much to look at. This was partly because we didn’t plan exactly where we were going to walk and so just followed our noses.
After becoming hot and sweaty walking around the harbourside we decided to take the train back to the van as it was nearing the time to return it. Upon our arrival at the depot we found…nobody. We waited around for 20 minutes before an employee arrived. What preceded was a quick check of the vehicle and then we got dropped off to our hotel, where we are currently residing.
After five weeks living in a small van and one bed, we are now luxuriating in a comfy room with two queen beds and air conditioning.
Zig-Zag New Zealand 