hmmm...so Auckland then...

....is not 'all' that great as a 'city' in the traditional sense of the word. There's not much to the town centre or the business district and it kinda feels a bit soul-less.

But...

When you get to the suburbs and outlying districts you suddenly realise what Auckland is all about. Working hard and playing hard. People go to the city to work and then come out to drink beer and have a barbeque in the evenings with their friends in the sun before going to bed and getting up at 6am to go for a run, bike or swim along the miles and miles of beautiful beaches and waterfront that runs round the edges of the city or any of the fantastic green spaces and parks. It's actually quite breath-taking to take in. The quality of life for a person with a reasonable job is pretty incredible - clean, safe city, loads of different things to do, outdoor lifestyle and surf 40mins in one direction and snow 4 hours in the other - outstanding!

We saw seperate friends on both friday and saturday and they're all truly LOVING it here.

As for our itinerary we stayed at a fairly standard and WAY too hot backpackers in the centre of town, went to the viaduct and mission bay friday night and went out to Waihiki island on saturday. Pretty good fun but a couple of days is probably enough in Auckland as a traveller...but as a resident..man, can't think of many better places to live in the world!

Anyway, off to South Island sunday!