by Real Traveler Jamie and Tal
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Auckland

From New Zealand in Auckland, New Zealand on Jan 16 '07

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Jamie and Tal has visited no places in Auckland

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Wooden church on Parnell Road
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After 5 weeks in Australia we were more than ready to leave for New Zealand. The flight from Sydney to Auckland only took 2:50 hr (2 hrs time difference).

As we arrived at the airport, J's boots were taken for a thorough cleaning ;-) as they were dirty from previous hikes in Australia.

Whilst cleaning our boots, J took care of booking accommodation for the next few days in Auckland. This proved rather difficult as luck would have it, there was another event going on this Friday: The Big Day Out. Therefore most of the beds were booked. After an hour we managed to get a bed in a 6-bed dorm (NZD 21 p/p) in Parnell, 2kms east of the city center.

We took the super shuttle bus (NZD 16 p/p; Eur 8.6 / GBP 5.6) and checked into Auckland International Backpackers. The place was nothing special and much to our surprise no bedding was provided. That night we did not sleep well as it was too cold!

The next day we had to check out as the place was fully booked and ended up staying in a lodge up the road (Lantana Lodge) and had to upgrade to a double room (NZD 80!!) for the first night. We went to the supermarket in Newmarket to stock up and whilst there, Tal noticed a guy staring at J. At first Tal was flattered, but it got to a stage where it was abnormal, so J walked up to the guy to see what was going on. Turned out it was Rich, an old friend from England who emigrated to New Zealand 18 months ago. What a coincidence!! We decided to meet up in the next weeks.

Parnell is a very nice suburb of Auckland and we were glad to stay here. It reminded us a bit of Glebe in Sydney. The next days we spent walking through Parnell and the city centre: Queen St, Karangahape Rd (K-road) - K-Rd is one of the seedier parts of Auckland, but interesting because of its variety of shops, restaurants and pacific culture - and Ponsonby Rd, apparently Auckland's premiere eat street. In all honesty, the centre of Auckland is not very pretty at all so we were happy to go back to Parnell.

We booked a second-hand rental car for a minimum of 30 days (NZD 25 p/d all-in) as we planned to travel throughout the islands and not by bus (as we did in Australia).

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Jamie and Tal on Jan. 22, 2007 @ 10:49AM said

Hi Brad, Well, with USD 15,000 you should be able to travel for a few months. We have budgeted GBP 1,000 per month p/p overall (and still are on budget). Bear in mind that Asia is dirt cheap, but Europe will ne the most expensive part of your trip. Countries such as the UK are very expensive, Spain one of the cheapest. Accommodation in Asia is around USD 5 per night and you will get a double room for this (mostly with bathroom). Transport is cheap as well and food is almost for free (if you fancy eating off the street). In Australia and New Zealand things are a little more expensive than in Asia but still cheaper than Europe. Count on a dorm bed for AUD/NZD 25 p/p. The good thing is that guesthouses here have kitchens, so you could eat cheaply if you wanted to. Transport here is often done by bus, but renting a car as we have done gives you a lot more flexibility. If you plan to stay here for more than 3 months, you should consider buying a car. The second-hand car market is cheap and cars can be bought in major cities and many travellers advertise their cars in guesthouses along the way. I guess what you should do is tick those places you want to visit and see how many days in total in each country you plan to stay. I am not sure about US citizens, but in AUS and NZ you can easily find work for a short period of time. You should apply for a work visa before you leave and turn 30. What countries do you intend to visit? Cheers, J and Tal

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bradley on Jan. 22, 2007 @ 10:49AM said

Hi There...my name is Brad from Washington, DC. I will be turning 30 in late March and want to travel Europe and parts of Asia. I have flights taken care of...however I will need lodging. I have never done hostels. Always hotels for 200 a night. I plan to be gone for a month (give or take a week), and will have 15 thousand to spend (ofcourse I do not want spend that much). Finally my question: I have no idea how to get started, what places to avoid, how to get a "second hand car", the good and bad of hostels, and stuff like that. Also, I noticed that you have been gone for 7 or 8 months. How many citys can I realistically do? Any must sees (keeping in mind that I am very active in the nightlife). It looks like you have had a blast! Look forward to your response. Brad

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