Hello from Auckland!!!! Arrived yesterday lunctime and it was a bit cloudy and drizzly. Had no real expectations of Auckland and it seemed pretty nice. My hostel is right in the centre of town and I spent the afternoon along the main strip Queen Street getting my new NZ sim card etc - very exciting! The hostel was offering a free BBQ which turned out to be 1 questionable hot dog but it was free so I wasn't complaining! Made friends with a guy in my dorm and we went and checked out the hostel bar which was an experience. There were several men in dresses (wearing them well I might add) and mostly 18 year olds so we decided to venture away from the backpackers to Ponsonby which is a more trendier part of town and was really nice. Saw the Auckland Skytower on our way back and it looked really cool as it was lit up in red and behind cloud so it looked really impressive!

This morning I went to Mission Bay which was a bit disappointing, perhaps as I have seen some really stunning beaches on my trip and this remided me of somewhere in the UK - I have great expectations now!! The highlight was seeing the biggest pigeons I have ever encountered and they were a little bit scary! Had a look around the harbour which was very nice with lots of good bars and cafes. I then walked the entire length of Queen Street only to discover it had the steepest hill halfway - I will be paying for that tomorrow!! Arrived at K Street exhausted, which is a funky street with some cool boutiques. Then staggered along to Ponsonby to check it out in the day and went to a nice park along the way. Had big plans to do a walking tour of the city but having accidentally walked about 20 miles uphill I got the bus back to the hostel and collapsed!! Am going out again tonight (if I can even stand) and then I leave Auckland tomorrow as start the first leg of the Stray Bus - can't wait!!! Big kisses xxx