Back in Auckland

...and I'm back in Auckland after my 27-day hiatus.  Kind of cool to see on that interactive map how I've made a big circle, but I probably should have seen that coming.

Last night was pretty ridiculous.  Stayed in Thames, and I really didn't know what I was getting myself into... Thames is essentially a one-horse town with exactly one place to stay in the winters, accessible through a bar/pub thing.  I was the only person in the entire hotel, and the whole thing looked like something out of the Shining.  I was crapping my pants every time I had to walk down the hall, praying that the oil paintings on the walls weren't going to come to life or anything.

But that was that, and the Spaceship odyssey is complete at long last.  I've learned a lot about making new friends for one night at a time, which has been a valuable lesson given the next eleven months of my life.  The ACB (Auckland Central Backpackers) is just as I've left it, and I've got six days to sort of settle in and get my legs back under me.  I guess I'd been running a bit more tired than I thought, because once I checked in here I took a pretty decent-sized four hour nap.  It's weird just staying in one place right now, but I'm sure I'll get used to it all over again.