Auckland

Friday was the day I finally said goodbye to South America, and what a trip it has been. I visited 7 countries over more than 4 months going to some places I never thought I would get the chance to visit. It's hard to sum up my highlights because there were so many, but I know I've met a lot of people who actually like me and they made the trip what it was. My flight out of Rio was around about lunchtime and I got to the airport in good time, catching a taxi which passed many of landmarks of Rio I had seen over my time there. When arriving at the airport I had lots of time to spare which just gave me time to relax.

To get to New Zealand required me to take a short flight to Buenos Aires, lay over there for 8 hours, and then take a particularly long flight through the night to Auckland. The first flight was pretty smooth despite departing a little late, although this just decreased my lay over time in BA which was a good thing. I even got a free sandwich on board the flight. The layover in BA was painful however, with just a few shops and wifi to keep me entertained. I did treat myself to a pizza for dinner though. In the end I managed to board the plane half asleep which departed at about midnight.

The flight to Auckland took longer than expected as we were apparently flying against the wind, although there was a decent entertainment system with plenty of films and games to keep me amused. Being by the window too also meant I got a pretty decent sleep during the flight. There were two meals provided on the flight which included some beef and potato thing for dinner, and an omelette thing for breakfast. With the flight crossing the date line, I arrived in Auckland on the Sunday morning as I effectively lost a day. Getting out the airport took a while however as there were massive queues, although once I got my stamp I had no checks and pretty much just walked out the airport.

Arriving in the morning meant I had time to kill, as I couldn't check into the hostel until 2. I therefore just walked down the harbour to see the iconic skyline, although it was very busy as some big race event was happening. Auckland itself is the largest city in New Zealand with about 1.4 million people living in the district, which is about 1 in 3 people of the entire population. With large numbers of Pacific and Asian immigrants, the city is very multicultural and diverse. Famous landmarks include the sky tower and harbour bridge, and the city itself is often referred to as the city of sails as it lies between two harbours. Within the harbours lie many islands, which contain some of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the country. The city also lies on a volcanic field with about 50 volcanoes in the city. Many of these volcanoes aren't actually extinct, although there hasn't been an eruption since Rangitito Island was formed about 600 years ago.

I eventually managed to check into my hostel, and after dinner it wasn't long before I absolutely passed out with the long flight catching up with me! This did however mean I woke up at 3am with my body clock being 8 hours out of sync. The next three days nothing exciting really happened other than sorting things out which I needed to work in the country. The main thing I needed was an ird number which without one means you get taxed 45%. Applying for this required my national insurance card number which I didn't have which caused problems but it was sorted eventually. I also bought a cheap phone so I could be contactable throughout New Zealand with respect to work opportunities. Luckily the hostel had a person who was employed to help people find work so I got everything sorted eventually, including help writing a cv. By Wednesday I had everything sorted (except a wait for my ird number to arrive) to apply for jobs.

Come Thursday I thought it was about time to explore some other parts of city, after becoming extremely familiar with the centre over the previous few days. I therefore decided to visit Mount Eden which is the tallest of the volcanoes in Auckland, and also within an hour walk of the city centre. When getting to the top there were brilliant views in all directions of the skyline, both harbours and surrounding suburbs. There was also an impressive view or the 50m deep crater at the top which you could walk around. Decending down the other side I then headed to One Tree Hill, another of the volcanoes. The views here were as equally impressive. I then headed back to the city via Newmarket which I now know is the place to go shopping, and then across Auckland Domain which I visited when I came here 3 years ago. It was a pretty substantial walk in the end all done in flip flops! 

On Friday I went out exploring again, this time heading over to the Auckland harbour bridge which I now know you cannot walk over. I was planning to go across to the other side of the harbour, but instead continued round the harbour to Ponsonby. This area had lots of restaurants and bars which seemed more high end and gourmet. It was a nice area to walk round. I then headed towards Karangahape Road which was more deprived but it seems like an alternative place for nightlife away from the city centre, and only being about a mile from the centre. I then headed back to the hostel and continued applying for jobs as I had heard absolutely nothing from the jobs I had applied for other than one text message saying the job was already taken.

With no luck in the jobs department I again headed out on the Saturday exploring, this time heading east along the harbour edge to check out some of the beaches. I passed Orakei beach which was home to the sea life centre, then Mission Beach which had a lot of affordable restaurants and fish and chip shops which is good to know. I then continued to Kohimarama Beach and St Heliers Bay which is as far as I walked before heading back. On the way back I went to Orakei domain which had some nice views over the harbour before heading back to the hostel.

On Sunday I actually got an opportunity for this job interview working as a bike taxi driver although when they explained what was involved I thought no. You effectively had to pay $200 to hire a bike per day and work whenever you want and then set your own prices to people and hope you make profit, which I thought too risky. Regardless I continued applying for jobs for Sunday, moving to a new hostel for a change of scenery in the process. Come Monday I went back to job search at the hostel I was originally staying at who referred me to another company.

On Tuesday a job which sounded suitable finally rang me for an interview, and I headed out to their office in Henderson about 40 minutes from the city that very morning. When arriving it was more a matter of when can you start than an interview. The company called tradestaff is effectively based all over the country and they give you contracts doing general labour work for clients all over the place. I did have to fill in various health and safety forms and even take a drug test which all went smoothly. I was then given a contract to start the very next day, along with things like steel capped boots and other safety clothing for the job.

Wednesday I was up bright and early to start the job, which was about a 20 minute train ride, then a 10 minute walk away to arrive by 7. After getting a health and safety training session I was ready to start. The job is on a university campus and they are attaching two existing buildings and renovating them to create a new 'hub' for the students. Set over three floors and massive area there were a lot of people on site. With the majority of people skilled trades people, I am part of a team of six who cleans up people's  mess, moves things about, lifts things onto site, basically all the little things. I have however got to put up with a Spurs and a Villa fan in my team. By Friday when I was finished I was told by the client to come back Monday which was a good thing, so I should finally be making money for the time being.