So here are the long-awaited photos and details of the first few steps of the adventure. It's going to be difficult to backtrack and capture it all just right, but i am going to try.
The girls arrived just before dawn and dammit, it was cold and dark. Guess we weren't in Kansas anymore.
We set out on foot heading up and down the city's steep, winding streets after safely settling our belongings in a windowless dungeon of a dorm-like room on the 10th floor of the Base ACB Backpacker's on Queen St. The consensus? Auckland looks like a city. Plain and simple.
Mark arrived around 6:30p and couldn't have gotten there any sooner. We were starving... and thirsty too, of course. We set our feet back to the streets and eventually found a cozy restaurant/bar to have our first meal. Lamb, steak, cocktails, red wine, and mussels were shared as we were corralled into playing some trivia (a seemingly popular Kiwi drinking pasttime) and despite our pathetic attempts, were awarded a round of loser shots *pictured*.
After a proper tour of establishments (which was a short one as Monday nights are apparently slow in the city... likely excuse, NZ) we rolled our way home (seriously, Katy and i thought it was a good idea to lay down and roll down the ridiculously hilly, and ridiculously empty, streets... reminiscent of our first night out together ever in the Paign, nearly four years ago on Green St. Fitting that this should all take place on our first night out together ever in NZ... on Queen St.) Katy stopped to be a tourist *pictured*.
In my confused jetlag state i, of course, woke up after sleepwalking onto the elevator at 8a barefoot and without a key to get back to our floor. Eventually i made it back frightened but unscathed to an incredulous reception from Mark in his undies and Katy in disarray. Sorry Katy, i won't let it happen again.
The rest of the days in Auckland were fairly uneventful, signing our first mobile plans as "best mates", getting bank accounts and IRD numbers, and all of that responsible bullshit. We had our first Burger Fuel experience at this fast food chain that sells gourmet style 1/3lb burgers that come with cardboard fold ups to hold your burger in so that you don't lose any goodies as it inevitably falls apart *pictured*. Ketchup is called tomato sauce and costs extra so Mark, the condiment king, has decided to carry his around with him. Naturally. He is pictured in his SCUBA helmet, wetsuit thing just before i knighted him. Duh.
Coming home that evening we found our unexpected dungeon mate moving his stuff in and after the initial awkward shock of coming "home" to a rugby-playing Englishman we all went out to Globebar for "a few drinks." Turns out Kiwis like to play games at the bars. Raunchy games involving teams having to pop balloons in various sexual positions and candybar sucking contests (use your imagination here, i'm sure you can get the drift). We awoke bright and early the next morning with headaches and a plan to roadtrip the North Island in search of a hometown...
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