Getting Started

Slightly sunburnt greetings from the land of the long white cloud!

After 3 days in Auckland a few things have become apparent…

1)      New Zealand is MUCH more expensive than I remember! Transportation and lodging are not that different from the US, and cheaper than Japan, but food is crazy! A fish burger & chips at a local burger joint set me back $20, and it was $4.50 for the worst Starbucks drip coffee I have ever tasted. I had a great coffee yesterday at a local café but it was $6.70… I thought my coffee addiction in the US was an expensive habit, but here it will literally bankrupt you! Oh and a bottle of sun screen (about $10 in the US) set me back $22… (How bad are sunburns for you really?) 

2)      Getting “off the beaten path” is much more difficult than advertised. :P A short distance outside of Auckland there appear to be a number of great day hikes but to access them you either have to pay for a crazy tour or have a car…

3)      Everyone else starting their working holiday is worried about money.

4)      People are very friendly, and not just the locals. I have met some really interesting people in the last few days.

View from Devonport

My original plan of show up and see what happens is going to need some work…. With things costing so much more than I had anticipated I may need to revise my plan… I suppose that is why we plan – so we can change it. :P

All that being said I have had some good cheap fun over the last couple days. Look to the other posts for photos etc. ;)