March 22 - 10:35 pm

Hello Auckland! Here I am in another city. The big one. It took a while to get here, but now I have time to explore and see what this city has got to offer.
Left John Wallace and Marion this morning after breakfast. I headed out with my hitchhiker sign that read "Whitianga". And less than five minutes went by when a kiwi couple pulled over and offered to take me to the ferry landing. That worked for me! From there, it was just $3 to cross to whitianga on the ferry, and then 3 hours to wait for my bus. I spent most of that time at the library, using wifi. Finally came time to catch the bus. Nd landed in Auckland at 5:00. I had contacted Winston about meeting up when I got to town. Unfortunately, he and his girlfriend were heading to the bay of islands for the weekend, but weren't leaving until about 8, so we were still able to meet for dinner. He picked me up at the bus station. We walked around town a little bit, picked up his girlfriend, Claire, from her job, and headed to an Indian place. They were both really nice, relatable people. A little hard understanding their accents sometimes, but I pretended like I got everything. Winston paid for dinner and took me to my hostel just before 8. It was really nice to meet him and Claire. Hopefully I'll see them again before I leave Auckland for Christchurch.
Staying in Lantana Lodge for a few nights. This hostel seems okay. Free wifi, all the time! So that's neat. Makes up for the higher price tag. A whopping $28/night! I want free again. Where's John Wallace when you need him?! Just kidding. I'd rather be here in Auckland tonight.