The first few days in Auckland

Kia ora and welcome to my very first travel blog! Honestly, this is actually my first blog ever, so I'm looking forward to constructive feedback in the comments. ;-) Now let's start our journey together...

Today is already my fourth day in New Zealand. I've started drafts in this blog multiple times, but discarded them due to time constraints. 'Time problems??!' you may be wondering, where I have nothing to do all day? :D Well, jet lag is a b*tch! :p

Nothing exciting happened in the first two days anyway. On the 5th of April, I landed in Auckland. Via Airbnb, I had booked an appealing accommodation with Lisa, who kindly even picked me up from the airport. Then, I opened a bank account, applied for an IRD and bought a new SIM card. I can only recommend Lisa's home in the suburb of Pakuranga to anyone planning to start a work and travel experience in New Zealand. It's the perfect preparation for the adventure! :)

Yesterday, the journey continued, it was supposed to be the 'Station' hostel in the center of Auckland. In the past, I had good experiences there with my best friend Mo. An hour bus ride, a visit to the Car Fair Market, and a few hours of shopping later, I was finally able to check in and fell into bed, exhausted.

The night in the mixed 6-bed room was pleasantly quiet, and today I was only woken up at 6 a.m. by the garbage truck! My alarm would've gone off 15 minutes later anyway, since I planned to go to the larger Car Fair Market in Ellerslie. It takes place once a week, on Sundays. The bus rides here always remind me of those in GTA. (Yes, sometimes I take the bus in GTA! Btw, that would also be a good ending for a 'Yo mama...' joke) Surprisingly empty buses, with soft music in the background and a great view of the countryside and its people. When the rising sun shines on the palm trees along the way, it's a beautiful sight.

Arriving in Ellerslie, I had some time until the market officially opened. Since I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, I looked for a bakery first, in vain. A nearby gas station caught my eye, so I ordered a 'Peach, Apple, Blueberry Muffin' (better than at McCafe, I tell you) and asked for a 'regular' coffee. The Maori who served me looked at me grimly and asked what a regular coffee is for me. She pointed to their menu board behind her, which offered a selection like Starbucks. Avoiding the conflict, I replied: 'Cappuccino.'

Today's car market was about ten times as big as yesterday's. Divided into 3 price categories: 'Over $10,000,' '$5,000 - $10,000,' and 'under $5,000.' I had to take a deep breath and looked in vain for the 'under $3,000' category. But after getting a brief overview, I quickly identified the backpacker cars. Among the attendees were also some familiar faces from yesterday, with whom I was still in touch. Overall, I feel really lucky to have arrived at a time when most backpackers are leaving the country. High supply + low demand = the agony of choice when buying a car, and at a great price too! I sometimes felt sorry for the losses some people had to accept. But still better than scrapping it for $300 or having to rely on a cheeky dealer. Some people told me that the dealers buy cars early in the morning and leave them there, nicely displayed by the backpackers. Then they simply raise the price on the sign by $1,000, while the previous sellers are still standing next to it. The whole thing reminded me a little of the old trading of Pokémon games at the flea market.

After some test drives, three cars were in the final selection for me. I won't list the exact details here now, otherwise, this post will never end ^^ . I'm in contact with all the sellers and will decide on one of them in the next few days. Once I'm a proud used car owner, I'll report about it. Look forward to some nice pictures!

Tomorrow, I'll go to Piha Beach with some people I met today. :)