Another early start today, that would have been even earlier had it not been for our motel owner's kind offer to drop us off at the nearby Hokitika airport. The airport was quite different from the multi-terminal international airports we're used to. One check in desk that only opens an hour before departure and we walked out the 20 yards between the desk and our waiting plane.
From the twin propeller, 19-seater, we had a great view of Mount Cook and Tasman and a surprisingly smooth ride. We changed plane in Christchurch and landed in Auckland at lunchtime.
However, our journey was far from over and a further bus, ferry and another bus took us to our hostel - Kina Backpackers in Onetangi. Well, almost. We actually disembarked at the bottom of the hill facing a 187-step climb to our hotel. Dean struggled with the 42kg of suitcases, needing to stop every 40 steps to rest. He's just not as fit as he once was...
The backpackers hostel was basic, but what do you expect for less than £40 per night for a double en-suite room?
We showered an changed before heading back down the steps and into the bustling centre of Onetangi with it's two restaurants and cafe :-)
We ate a pleasant meal at the busiest, Charley Farley's, and enjoyed the lovely view of the beach and the bay beyond. About 9pm, the biting insects also came out for dinner, so we quickly finished up and wandered back to the hostel for some much-needed sleep after our tiring day of travelling.
Unfortunately, our room is next to the TV / living room and we had to wait for our fellow backpackers to retire before we could fall asleep ourselves.
We got an text from Julie's friend Katherine offering a room in their 2-bed apartment on Friday and Saturday at the same hotel as the rest of the wedding party. I think we might be taking them up on the offer...