Auckland, New Zealand
I suppose this is the point where I come somewhat clean. It’s no fluke that I ended up in New Zealand. The rugby world cup (RWC) is on here for the next two months or so and Conor and I are fairy avid Irish supporters. What makes us a little different from many supporters though is that we’ve firmly left comfort at home and have nothing concrete planned- especially accommodation! Hence having arrived in Auckland we check in to a hostel and set about buying a car/mobile home.
Car Hunting
From what we gather buying a car is probably the best way for backpackers (who like to retain a good deal of freedom) to get around NZ. With cheap non-compulsory insurance and change of ownership very easy, it can really save on the pocket. Depending on what sort of a bucket of rust you buy you may also be able to make some money back at the end of the trip by selling it on. However when buying a car it’s advisable to buy one which is currently registered and has a warranty of fitness (WOF). The latter is simply a certification that the car is road-worthy and sound until the WOF comes up for renewal.
Our first port of call is a backpacker’s car traders about twenty minutes walk from our hostel. Unfortunately everything here is on the pricey side and not exactly suitable for just two lads and a llama. We plod along from hostel to hostel looking at notice boards and backpacker car sales folders but it’s much the same story here. It’s not all doom and gloom though, we do manage to stumble across a few All Blacks (NZ rugby players) and the William Webb Ellis (RWC trophy) which lighten the mood slightly. Pretty whacked from it all we retire to the hostel and savour what little gems the web may offer us….nothing much.
Beware Backpackers Karma
With the few leads we have from day one we hit the streets again the next day and call to garages who have some online listings. Alas, there isn’t much here that will be a quick purchase so it’s back to square one. To compound matters I return to the hostel to find my room has been robbed. Turns out someone walked in off the street, managed to let themselves into our room and helped themselves to anything inside. However bad that is I can count myself fortunate in comparison to the others I the room. For instances such as this I’m travelling without my laptop and everyone else in the room with one had it taken. In total 3 laptops, an iPhone, two iPods, my external hard drive and a backpack were taken. Not a great start to NZ, can only hope backpackers karma bites whoever it was in the backside!
Now even though the infamous robbery leaves a bad taste in the mouth, there’s plenty to be happy about (and I’m only in NZ a couple of days). For one the people are great; both the staff in the hostels and the people staying in them. Upon setting out on our car hunting adventure, the guys at the front desk of the hostels were of great help and even more so when we dabbled with the idea of renting a car. Moreover the frustrations of the day (and there were plenty!) were quickly forgotten in the evenings when we would lounge about in the common areas with others we were staying with. On one particular night we enjoyed a beer with three Frenchmen, two English, two Canadians, a Zimbabwean, a South Korean, an Aussie, a Fijian and a lad from the Czech Republic…..let’s just say the different stories and language barriers made for an almighty laugh!
Reality and Redemption
Robberies and laughs aside the reality is that we’re still without a set of wheels and have no roof over our head the coming night- everywhere is booked solid with the RWC opening ceremony around taking place in Auckland in a day or two, A cry for help to a very special someone back in Ireland solves the latter problem and we are kindly offered a bed for the night through friends.
Still motorless we mope around Auckland taking in the famous Sky Tower and such peculiar sights as a bungy chair in the middle of the city. With the world seemingly against us and our pursuit for a car we decide it best to have a pie and everything else will work itself out. For anyone interested in travelling to NZ you’d better like your pies or at least be willing to like them. NZ is pie mad with little bakeries everywhere. For backpackers in particular pies could well signify the answer to travelling on a tight budget with $3.50 NZ ($4 US) bagging you a hot meal.
Pied up and back on the street we suddenly come upon a sign for cheap car relocations. At this point it doesn’t seem that Auckland has much to offer us in terms of backpacker car sales and so a relocation is quite tempting. In short a relocation is a free rental with a specified drop off point in another city. Needing to get further south to New Plymouth for Ireland’s first game in three days we call in.
I’m not sure whether what follows is driven by lunacy, adventure or brilliance but we emerge from the agent twenty minutes later having agreed to relocate a truck to Palmerston North……550 km south of Auckland and 2 hours south of New Plymouth. With the new game plan of either buying a car in Palmerston North or hitch-hiking to New Plymouth agreed upon, we have a right laugh at ourselves before heading for our beds.
Hitting the Open Road
After the best couple of meal and nights sleep we’ve had in a while (big shout out to our hosts!), we’re city bound to pick up our truck and our Czech Republican buddy who wants a spin to New Plymouth. Unfortunately for Jans he’s a no show and is possibly still stuck in Auckland at the minute. Having picked up the truck at laughed ourselves silly at the situation we find ourselves we head south on the SH1 towards Lake Taupo taking in the fine scenery along the way. After about 4 hours on the road it’s high time to stop for the opening ceremony and game of the RWC. Turangi provides the ideal venue and we pull the truck up in a car park across from a sports bar.
Preparing ourselves for New Zealand v Tonga we shortly realise we’re not far from Maori territory when we see the sign “NO BAREFEET ALLOWED”…..and there was me worried about my flip flops! The opening ceremony goes on to be a great success added to by New Zealand winning easily. No time for us to enjoy the night though, it’ off to bed so we can make Palmerston on time in the morning. “Bed” in this sense consists of a one man Grand Trunk tent in the back of a truck…..thank Grand Trunk I had both my silk and bamboo sleepsack, it was quite chilly!
Palmerston North: A Flying Business Visit
Rolling into Palmerston with some time to spare we decide to have a look around. Heading through the square we see many of th bars which are no doubt packed most evenings given that Palmerston houses New Zealand’s largest university. On our way to drop the truck off we also pass the All Blacks museum but have no time to stop…..we’re on business after all!
However a wrong turn sends us down a residential street where I spot a little red car with some tags hanging out the window. On further inspection the car turns out to be for sale so we look around frantically for the owner. Presumably looking quite shifty a neighbour comes out to see what we’re doing and is soon off to find the elusive owner. A few minutes later “Barb” arrives wondering if we’d like a test drive- “yes please”! Needing some gentle encouragement to start the little red demon fires up and we take her for her maiden voyage. $900 asking price soon becomes $700 and we strike a deal- welcome to the family 1989 Daihatsu Charade….or Rosie as we like to call her now!
Before we can head away with our latest edition we have to first deal with the small matter of refueling and returning our borrowed wheels. Having refueled we do some small cosmetic work on the truck to hide a scratch acquired after a little misunderstanding with a petrol pump. Success- no scratch detected and a big “thank you for helping us out gentlemen” later we leave the garage gleaming. After quickly sorting the paperwork for Rosie we hit the open road…..next stop New Plymouth.
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