Friday was wonderful for seeing Caitlin. Really great. In the evening, on our first day together since January, we went to meet some gay friends of hers (Seb, Daniel, and Brendan) who just happened to live on the street next to me! It has been Caitlin's obsession for some time now that I go gay-clubbing, and being such a great sport, of course I'd oblige.
I don't remember the names of where we went, but after pizza we went to some straight clubs so I could get into a groove, and then moved down to K' Rd to probably the most well known gay club in Auckland, Family. It was fine just dancing away, and I wish Carys had been there to spend the entire evening laughing at me, but it was fine. I only got hit on once, and it's easy saying no to someone who you aren't gender sexually attracted to. At 5 a.m. we went back to the boys' place, and woke up on Saturday to a cooked breakfast with everything. Baked beans have never tasted so good (except perhaps when I went to Edinburgh with Imperial by coach).
After refreshing back at the hostel, I walked to Sky City (a shopping/entertainment complex near the Sky Tower), where I met Caitlin, and Charlie Paterson, who's been cycling around Australasia. We ate Korean food at the "D-Restaurant" (which I don't think is its real name - it's so-called for its health-rating), and eating cross-legged is so painful! Flexible - not something I am.
After dinner we went to meet a fellow waitress of Caitlin, Laura, and her flatmate Lorna, before doing a repeat of the night before; straight clubs, then Family, before crashing at 5 a.m.
Bleeeergh. I had SUCH a sore throat in the morning, and it lasted pretty much all week. It was nice talking to my parents with that voice. I spent much of the week drinking either caramel coffee, or green tea, to soothe the throat, and I don't think I've ever bought anything after seeing an advert on TV, but I had to for Strepsils.
On the Monday I finally decided to start living properly in the hostel, so did some groceries, buying bread, noodles, butter, and what I thought was bacon, but apparently pork belly is not sliced unless it's labelled "bacon", so that was interesting to cut up and eat with the noodles.
The rest of my stay in Auckland was a fairly stable one with no great events taking place. I think it's one of those cities where you either have to have a lot of money, or to know the city well, before you can really take advantage of whatever it has to offer. Walking up to Hobson Bay, or around the Domain, is peaceful, and really lovely, but Sydney has better places to walk, and a whole lot more to see over smaller distances.
After refreshing back at the hostel, I walked to Sky City (a shopping/entertainment complex near the Sky Tower), where I met Caitlin, and Charlie Paterson, who's been cycling around Australasia. We ate Korean food at the "D-Restaurant" (which I don't think is its real name - it's so-called for its health-rating), and eating cross-legged is so painful! Flexible - not something I am.
After dinner we went to meet a fellow waitress of Caitlin, Laura, and her flatmate Lorna, before doing a repeat of the night before; straight clubs, then Family, before crashing at 5 a.m.
Bleeeergh. I had SUCH a sore throat in the morning, and it lasted pretty much all week. It was nice talking to my parents with that voice. I spent much of the week drinking either caramel coffee, or green tea, to soothe the throat, and I don't think I've ever bought anything after seeing an advert on TV, but I had to for Strepsils.
On the Monday I finally decided to start living properly in the hostel, so did some groceries, buying bread, noodles, butter, and what I thought was bacon, but apparently pork belly is not sliced unless it's labelled "bacon", so that was interesting to cut up and eat with the noodles.
The rest of my stay in Auckland was a fairly stable one with no great events taking place. I think it's one of those cities where you either have to have a lot of money, or to know the city well, before you can really take advantage of whatever it has to offer. Walking up to Hobson Bay, or around the Domain, is peaceful, and really lovely, but Sydney has better places to walk, and a whole lot more to see over smaller distances.
Caitlin and I rented Wall•E one evening, so at least she's seen that now. Once we go back to Auckland (I'm writing this retrospectively from Sydney), we'll rent Schindler's List for many happy times. Seb and Daniel took us on a drive up Mt. Eden one evening too, which really showed off the city at night. Apparently Auckland's built on a load of dead volcanoes, of which Mt. Eden was one, and the crater at the summit was very impressive.
I learnt how to play the guitar at my hostel! Mr Allans had Guitar for Dummies, and a travelling musician had left his guitar there, so I picked up both and started to play. Ow, my poor left hand. So I've now got slightly calloused fingertips, and I'm adding to that each day by pressing my nails into them, but I wish I'd known about how painful it is playing chords beforehand! Regardless, I picked up some tabs for loads of Rodrigo y Gabriela off the internet, and can now play (albeit slowly) the intros for Stairway to Heaven, Tamacun, and I learnt by ear the intro for Viking Man! Go Christopher. Definitely buying a guitar the second I step off the plane in London.Our last day in Auckland, Seb had told us about a horror-attraction 40 km south of Auckland, called "Spookers", so Charlie, Seb, Caitlin and I all went to that. It was based in an abandoned insane asylum that had been set up so that you could walk through, and as you did so, actors in gruesome make-up grabbed and chased you. I think it could have been more scary, especially if it hadn't been as busy, but walking in pitch black, and then having a man with nails through his face pin you to a wall, is damn freaky. There was also a forest through which you are chased by men wielding chainsaws... That was more scary.
So, on Saturday at 5:00 a.m. Caitlin and I left for Auckland airport to catch separate planes to Sydney, and that's where we are now. Caitlin's got a cold at the moment, but hopefully things will improve.
Back in Auckland in a week.
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