Auckland: Day 3

Our final day in Auckland began with some unprecedented luck. I’ve mentioned that the day before, Tom had rung ANZ customer services and somehow managed to get us an appointment in one of the Queen Street branches for the next day. After I had given the guy on the phone my customer number, he had asked for a contact number just in case the branch needed to change our appointment. I somehow managed to cancel the call before I could give him my number (I still can’t get the hang of those phones) but we didn’t think anything of it and went ahead with the appointment anyway. 

It turns out that the guy we had spoken to hadn’t actually understood that there was a minimum two week waiting list for these bank appointments, and because they didn’t have a number for us, the branch hadn’t been able to call us and cancel the appointment (to correct his mistake). So instead of cancelling it, they just went kept the appointment and saw us both at the same time instead. We finally had some good luck!!

Activating the bank accounts was quick and easy, and it wasn’t long before we were leaving with our fancy new ANZ bank cards. They didn’t have our names on them, or any money in the accounts just yet, but still. 

It’s weird, that Tuesday felt like a really really busy day but we didn’t actually get much done? A big portion of the afternoon was spent in the library trying to figure out the IRD application process. It was telling us that we needed proof of a permanent address but we didn’t have proof of a permanent NZ address and the woman on the phone was beyond unhelpful so we just felt really stuck. We ended up just making copies of the documents we needed, printing off the form, and admitting defeat. It was not going to be completed that day. 

It wasn’t all bad though. We managed to figure out where we wanted to go next! A combination of cheap accommodation prices, wanting to visit the Bay of Islands, and just wanting to leave Auckland lead to us picking a place called Paihia as our next destination. We used our FlexiPass hours to pay for the bus journey from Auckland. Tom rang the hostel to book the rooms and boom. We had another 4 nights of accommodation! 

None of us were really feeling too hungry so we decided to eat in the bar rather than cook for ourselves. Meryn and I had the free snack (it was chicken stir fry that night) and Tom paid for the $3 upgrade (a normal meal-sized portion). The food was so good. That was definitely the best thing about that hostel, the free tasted-good food. No vegetarian options but that wasn’t a problem for us 3 thankfully. 

We met a guy in the bar who did give us his real name but after that only referred to himself as Ninja , and so now I can’t remember it. He even put his name as Ninja when he put his number in my phone. He was from South Africa and works in New Zealand as a tour guide bus driver. He also said one of the main things I think I’ll remember about Auckland: “My favourite thing to do in Auckland is leave.” It’s funny how many people here think like that. 

We ended our last day with a walk along the waterfront, and up to the docks. The city looks really pretty at night, especially as the sky tower was lit up. I think the city definitely did grow on me because I did end up liking it before we left. It’s just that the only things worth doing there cost money and if I’m going to spend money, I’d rather spend it on something I can’t do at home (and there are plenty of tall buildings I can pay to go up elsewhere). 

One weird part of our walk was when we randomly found an outdoor slide, plonked in the middle of what appeared to be industrial buildings. Oooobviously we went on it. We only went on the little slide because the big slide was dark and we somehow convinced ourselves there was a dead body hiding in it. (This sounds ridiculous now but at the time it was a legit worry). 

I have the best video of Tom’s voice as he gets stuck in the slide, and you can just about here him try to push himself down. After hearing that, I overcompensated slightly and I think I actually almost turned upside somehow?! Tom looked so concerned when I reached the bottom. 

We all bought New Zealand hats as well!

We made our way back to the hostel then, since we needed to pack ready to leave in the morning. I was looking up to try and see what stars we could see when I saw what I thought was an airplane. It took maybe 20 seconds? after it disappeared for me to catch up, and I realised that it hadn’t been an airplane but a shooting star! 

It hadn’t been the best stay in Auckland but that definitely wasn’t a bad way for it to end.