January [week 1]
Laura & Mark 1st January 2000
The alarm woke us at 9.10am, in time to watch from our comfy bed while Europe saw in the New Year.  We were quite disappointed at the extent of the coverage, as it flicked from country to country before you could get a grip on what was going on.  We were impressed however at the celebrations in Paris and the way the Eiffel Tower was incorporated in the fireworks display.  We watched as thousands of drunk Dutch people cheered and jumped about in Amsterdam, stretching our eyes to see if we recognised anyone.  Sadly no. An hour later was Britain's turn and we were highly amused at the "grand" opening of the millennium Dome and at the Queen's orange dress.  We had another good laugh as what must have been millions of pounds worth of fireworks were released in one huge mess into the skies of London.
Throughout the rest of the day, we ate, packed and cleaned the flat, while we watched other countries celebrate around the world. Washington DC had a nice fireworks display, and Vegas had a gorgeous fountain display to music (although disappointingly, no fireworks).
By the time we were packed, and everything was (very) clean; it was time to cook a pizza for dinner (quick and simple).  We hurried to finish our meals so that we could catch a bus to the cinema.  We ran to the bus stop and were just in time.  Once at the cinema, the next task was to choose a film.  We decided on "Sleepy Hollow" and played a couple of games of air hockey before it started.  The film was excellent, very well written and well acted and we were glad we'd made the effort to go.  We caught a bus home where we fell quickly asleep, the alarm already set for 6.15am the following morning.
Laura & Mark 2nd January 2000
Our last few minutes in the apartment that had been our home for so long were spent in the usual way; hurrying to see if we had everything and ensure that no vital supplies were hidden behind the fridge or under the bed.  Fully convinced that we were in fact complete, we left to catch our 7.00am taxi to the bus terminal.
We were among the first to check in and sat down to wait for the coach once we-d got our tickets sorted out.  The Greyhound Pioneer coach pulled up and we took our seats in row 4 on the left-hand side.
And the journey began.
An hour and a half later, we were pleased to find that there were only 24 more hours to go!  We stopped at a roadhouse for lunch and ate some of our sandwiches outside in the sun.  We had another break in Broken Hill, which we filled by playing pinball.  All in all, we had two more food breaks and were shown 4 films; a terrible Steptoe and Son film that no-one watched; then a good 70s comedy; then one about a mobster, a little girl, a dog and a man caught between all three; the final film was the best, Rush Hour, with Jackie Chan. Once Rush Hour was over, it was time to sleep as best we could while the coach drove on.
Laura & Mark 3rd January 2000
We reached Sydney almost an hour early and decided to call and check our flight was going first.  After a misleading recorded message and a very long wait on "hold" we were finally assured that it was going as scheduled.  We put our bags in a locker and went past the Travellers Contact Point to see if we had any post.  We didn't, so we went on to find a cheap internet cafe.  Four Dollars for unlimited use sounded perfect and we sat down for two hours of electronic correspondence.  At half past two, we hurried on to Hungry Jacks for a quick meal before the flight.
We caught the shuttle bus to the airport where we wandered around the departures lounge until the plane left.  On the flight we had a very nice meal and some wine while we watched a rather poor romantic comedy.  From Auckland International Airport we caught a shuttle bus to the Youth Hostel we had booked and fell asleep in our ugly bare room.
Laura & Mark 4th January 2000
Today would provide us with our first real impressions of New Zealand, as the short ride through the dark in the bus last night didn't allow us to see that much. It certainly seemed more green and fertile than Australia, and there were a good many more hills too. We woke up late. Really late. Really, really late. We were showered, dressed and ready to go out by just after three in the afternoon if that's any indication. We went to see what Auckland looked like, and to find out whether we could rent or buy a car while we're here. Unfortunately everything seemed to be closing already and all we were able to find out was that we couldn't rent a car because Laura wasn't old enough and Mark didn't have his drivers license. We then went off in search of somewhere nice to eat, and failing to find any friendly pubs, we headed in our desperation to Burger King. Newarly fainting from hunger, we still enjoyed the mass-produced junk-food as though it was home-cooked cuisine. we returned to the Youth Hostel, where we planned to extend our stay for one more night, giving us the whole of the following day to look for a car. In the Youth Hostel, we headed by instinct to a room marked "cinema". Inside, we found some couches set out in a cinema style, and a big screen onto which sky movies was projected. Once seated, we realized how tired we still were and we didn't get up again until it was time to go to bed. We sat through two good films and one odd one, and then headed for our room.
Laura & Mark 5th January 2000
To make up for our previous day's laziness, we got up early this morning and went off in search of our first car. We grabbed a quick breakfast in one of the many food courts and headed off to find a bus. So far we decided that Auckland was hilly, busy and chaotic. The tall Sky City Tower sticks out over the sky-scrapers and the streets are crowded with shops. It isn't however a very pretty city and the shops didn't look too inviting. We wanted to buy a car quickly and get out into the countryside as soon as possible. We had gathered a few addresses of used car salesmen who offered a buy-back service (they would buy the car back from you when you were finished, at a percentage of the price) and headed there first. Budget cars on Mt. Eden road was no good, the cars were too expensive and the car-yard itself unfriendly and even forbidding. We walked down New North road to search for the next yard on our list when we walked past Sel Jones' used car yard. Within his sadly closed and locked gates stood a selection of cars we liked. To our joy there was also a sign welcoming tourists and backpackers; he also offered a buy-back service. We noted his phone number and walked on. We couldn't find any more car yards on this street so we turned left onto Dominion Road. We wanted to find number 825 Dominion road, but sadly we were standing outside number 69. With the hope of a car at the end of the journey, we started to walk. Twenty minutes later, outside number 212, we caught a bus. This dropped us directly opposite number 825, but this yard was hopeless too, and we caught the bus back. Next we headed to Great South road, where according to the Yellow Pages, it was used car paradise. It wasn't, unless your budget covered cars over $8000, which ours didn't. Mark phoned Sel Jones, as that seemed our best bet, and he reported that he was on holiday and would be back tomorrow. It was beginning to look as though buying a car would have to wait another day. Other than Sel Jones we had seen one Audi for $1700. We decided to leave it until the morning and returned exhausted to the YH. It was already 18.00 when we got back, and we treated ourselves to Chilli con Carne on the Rooftop bar. We then went back to the cinema, where we watched one film before returning to our room to pack and get an early night.
Laura & Mark 6th January 2000
We were out of the YH and on a bus by 8.45 this morning. With backpacks and all we made our way to Sel Jones car yard. We were there at 8.00am on the dot, hoping he would be too. At ten to ten, he came along and opened up. He told us immediately that a buy-back would not be a good idea for us financially, as the buy-back rate was set, and it was only really beneficial for people who had the car for 3 months or more. He pointed us instead to a car he had just got in before Christmas. It was a large, white car, technically a Mazda Capella Sedan Deluxe from 1986. This we could purchase for merely $1000, and we could probably sell it easily and regain most of the value. He took us in it for a test drive and we even drove up a steep hill to see if it climbed well. He was surprised at how well it went, as were we, and we decided immediately we would take it. We loaded our things into the back, and they fit with plenty of room to spare in the boot. This was another advantage as in this way our precious belongings would be invisible to all would-be thieves. We went to the bank to pin the money and were amused to find that the hole in the wall spat out a stack of 20 dollar notes. It was lots of fun to count them and we even took a photo, just for good measure. Back at the yard, we handed the money over and signed the papers. Within minutes, Miss L. E. Hayward owned a car. Our first car. We followed Mr Jones as far as the motorway, and then we were on our own, Laura panicking only a little at her first drive. We stopped at a large complex of warehouse-style shops just 15 minutes north of Auckland. Here we bought some food and topped up with petrol before going on. We were heading up the West coast, North of Auckland, towards Helensville. We were following highway 16, until we decided instead to follow a sign to a beach. We arrived at the end of the long and winding road in South Beach. Situated on a part of a large inlet of the sea, we stopped here for lunch. We unpacked the quiche we'd bought and ate it while admiring the view. It was a pretty area, with a jetty and a view of the bays across the inlet. However, the beach itself was muddy and stony so we decided to drive on to find a place to swim. We planned to head on up the West coast and then back down the East coast, but when we reached Welsford, another sign for a beach distracted us: Pakiri Beach. Getting there was slow as much of it was gravel track and in true NZ style it was also winding and hilly. As we round the final hill we had a glimpse of the glistening sea below. When we reached the foot of that same hill we discovered a campsite where we hoped we could find a bed for the night. We went to inquire first, and were able to rent a basic cabin for the night. We put our sleeping bags in the little room and set off to explore. We made immediate use of the toilet facilities and then walked on to the beach. The beach was wide and white and the sand was hot. The blue sea washed against the shore with high, powerful waves. We got into our swimming stuff and went into the water. "Bodyboard" - less, we attempted to surf the huge waves on our bellies and we did quite a good job. If you catch the wave at the right moment (just as it's breaking) and hold your body straight (like a surfboard), the wave will carry you surprisingly far. After an hour or two in the surf, we walked back up to our cabin to think about dinner. We bought a couple crisp rolls from the camp shop and ate them with some pate and cheese. It was late and dark by the time we were finished, so we played some cards and went to bed as we had to pack up and be off by 10.00 the next day.