Since my last entry I have bought my flight ticket and insurance: I am flying with Singapore Airlines - a direct flight via Singapore (surprisingly...) to Auckland in the 14th March. I have bought a single ticket to give me the freedom to travel onwards once my visa runs out. I think one of the flights might be on an Airbus A380 double-decker!
I am planning to stay in Auckland for a couple of nights before taking the bus to Wellington. I have been looking into different hostels and the organisations in NZ and what they offer in terms of discounts and benefits. I have been using backpackerboard as a source of information - it has lots of details on hostels; travel and cars; work - and fun!
There are plenty of hostels in NZ, and in true Kiwi style many of them have great names like Fat Camel, Absoloot Value, The Flaming Kiwi, and my favourite: Jailhouse Accommodation - which really is a prison - with the following quote:
"...and of course the jail features provide total security."
As well as the ubiquitous international hostel chains, there are also a couple of NZ chains - Budget Backpacker Hostels: and Base backpackers (with hostels in Australia too). I have not decided which organisation to join - BBH seems to have the largest number of hostels, so might be the obvious choice. I will check things out when I arrive.
After a couple of days in Auckland I will take the overnight bus to Wellington, the the ferry to Picton, then onwards to Annie and Hamish's.
Then the adventure will really start...
It still remains quite daunting, but having family to stay with at the start is fantastic, and means I am not bound by having to pay for accommodation every single night, which would put more pressure on finding work immediately - else, knowing me, I would spend most of my savings in the first few weeks!
So, now I have just over a couple of weeks to get my things sorted - pack up and/or give away things, and work out what I really need to take.
I am also trying to see as many people as I can before leaving: I visited my littlest sisters last weekend; Simon (friend from uni) came over the other day, and I am catching up with Pennine friends as well. Some people want to hold some kind of leaving do for me - don't know how that will feel, but is lovely and will be great!
I have very mixed emotions about leaving people behind - some especially so, but I need to go off on my adventure and live and work at something different for a while, and I am certain I will be back and see them - freshened and fired up to go on the next adventure!
I have continued selling things on ebay, and made a couple of very good sales this week - one of my bikes for £600, and my melodeon for £250. Another bike has loads of interest and bids, with 6 days selling time still to go! So, I think I will have a good chunk of money to take - and inevitably spend!
Onwards with the plans now...
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