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So, didn't get a great nights sleep last night, due to partying Swedish boys not turning up to the room until the wee small hours of the morning!It turns out that I wasn't just sharing the room with 2 Swedes, but also 2 dutch girls.Seeing as there were only 4 beds in the room, I did hope that I didn't have to sleep in the fridge....

It turns out that one Swede had been given the wrong room key and number, so a note was left for him on the door saying what had happened.They didn't return all evening, and ended up waking us up at whatever time they got in.Plus the two Dutch girls were so flaming noisy in the morning that I'm sure I only got about 4 hours sleep.Bloody dorm rooms - I don't think I'll be staying in too many!!Also, sharing with boys is a bit annoying, but the remaining Swede was so comatose in the morning when I finally dragged myself out of bed, that I don't think he would have noticed if I had danced naked right in front of him!!Thus, I have booked a bed in the Sanctuary for Friday night.The Sanctuary is a girls only dorm, and you even get a towel and mini toiletries - fabulous!

Spent today during the day, orienting myself around Auckland.I fancied just having a wander around town and I'd read in my guidebook that Karangahape Road had some cute and niche little shops, so I thought I'd take a look!Also, I wanted to see Aoretoa Square as there were meant to be some Maori statues there - unfortunately, this has been under construction since last year!!

K' Road (as it's commonly known apparently, and lots of addresses just have 'K' Road' on them!) was really nice.Apparently it doesn't have the best reputation (can be a bit seedy at night due to having lots of clubs and bars at one end) but it has great shops!I even found a little vegan place that sold all manner of vegan foods and clothes!Caroline M - just the place for you :D

I also succumbed to buying myself a new skirt.Oops.I know I shouldn't have, but it was hand made, and has lots of panels in it and it's made so you can wear it lots of different ways.So really, it's like having 6 different skirts.Yes, yes, I'm justifying it to myself, but it really is a lovely skirt and it's also a one-off so no one else will have the same one!It didn't cost that much for what it is really (more justification) so I'm pleased.I just can't buy anything else for the next 3 months....apart from souveniers (of which I have quite a few already, though most are pressies!).

K' Road also has a heritage walk along it, though I only found this out after I'd been there, but it turned out that I'd walked most of it by just browsing through the shops - yay!

So, I spent the rest of the afternoon planning my North Island trip.I've got about 2 weeks to get to 7 different places and by bus.Good thing the island isn't that big!!I'm going to New Plymouth first (which takes about 6 hours), then Hamilton (though I didn't really want to go here but it's the only place I can get a bus to to get to the next place), then Taupo, then Rotorua, then Whakatane, then Napier, and then finally getting to the capital which is Wellington.

God, I'm going to be cream crackered by that time!

New Plymouth

- has some art that I want to see - Len Lye's wind wand.It looks absolutely gorgeous!Oh, ans there's Egmont National Park, or Mount Egmont where they have lots of nice hikes to go on.

Hamilton

- didn't really plan on going here, but I have to to be able to get the bus to Taupo!Though my guidebook says that Hamilton is actually nice enough and I'm only there for one night so I might just take it easy and stroll around a museum or go on a paddle boat cruise along the river.

Taupo

- I'm hopefullygoing to do a skydive here!!Excited!There are some hot springs too, thermal baths, and lake cruises too.

Rotorua

- has more hot springs, and also is the only place that seems to do zorbing so I might have a try at that!

Whakatane

- is a good place to see whales and dolphins and you can also swim with them here.Apparently as this place is not one of the most popular stops, it's not so busy, so that should be good.

Napier

- more art as apparently Napier has the world's finest collection of Art Deco buildings!I've also found a veggie b&b there, and the dates I am arriving are the only dates they have free for a little while - talk about good coincidence!!

Wellington

- capital city of NZ and should be staying here for a couple of days at least before heading off to the South Island.Haven't planned that bit yet, but will have to at some point soon.

As I said, I'm travelling round the country by bus (not many trains in NZ) and have forked out a fair bit of money for a 55 hour travel pass, but as it's the only way to get around, I don't have much of an option!It's meant to be a good bus network anyways, and it's pretty easy to book journeys and so on, so hopefully I won't have too much trouble.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on going to the Bay of Islands, as I got a free trip included in my accommodation package.It's also a holiday in NZ tomorrow, Waitangi Day, so there are lots of things going on around the Islands.Waitangi Day celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi which is apparently the most important document (despite it's faults) for Maori rights.

The bus leaves at 7:20am tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get a fairly good nights sleep!