Getting Started

Finally arrived! After an endless flight with a layover in Sydney and losing our boarding pass, we arrived in Auckland completely exhausted. At the airport, we were greeted by the typical Maori carvings. In hindsight, most of it didn't really matter to us because all we wanted was to get to our hostel and go to bed. Once we arrived, we fought off our jet lag with an incredible 17 hours of sleep after a short exploration. Only then did we realize where we had actually landed: in a small prison-like room with a view of another wall, a dirty kitchen (including dishes), and a filthy bathroom. 'Not a big deal,' we thought, 'we'll be out of here in a week anyway.' So the next working day, we set out to take care of all the things you need for a work and travel stay: tax number, bank account, SIM card, and so on. Since we were able to handle these official matters without major difficulties, we spent the following days on the, as it turned out, extremely nerve-wracking search for a vehicle. We checked all imaginable online portals several times a day and eventually even went through all the notices in various hostels in the city. As it turned out, it was hardly possible to buy a good car from another backpacker, instead all kinds of (semi-) professional private dealers were offering their clunkers. Fortunately, after a few inspections, we finally found a gem sold by an Israeli backpacker couple. Since we both had a good feeling for the first time, we had to strike right away. We are now the proud owners of a 19-year-old Honda Odyssey!