We arrived late to NZ's idea of a metropolis! We caught the correct bus in the wrong direction and ended up at our hostel several years later! We only had a day here and our main objective was the hiring of a car so that we could drive to the bay of islands, cape reinga and do the corramandal peninsular! So having found our beloved global gossip and booked a car we were feeling rather smug! On the recomendation of the hostel owner we took a ferry overy to Devonport (supposedly for fish and chips), we had a nice walk around this quiet bit overlooking aukland and its many high rises and traffic jams (???) and both decided we didn't really fancy chips!! So we went back and investigated a new supermarket chain we hadn't been in yet - sad I know and then walked back to the hostel!
Following morning was an early start for me, as i had to go into town to the internet to talk to my little sister, before collecting the rental car....at which point we took off into the distance, though all that non exsistant traffic we had been warned about!!