Nicholas Quirke was disgusted with the accommodation he had sourced for Auckland on 13^th February. It had been a very expensive location and he got himself one of the cheaper but still costly motels. He realised once he got into the room that he would have been better in a backpackers and shared dormitory again. He had to pay for the WIFI and the room was horrible. It got him down as he had annoying news too about the Car Rental which he had to get back to the airport by midday on the 14^th, so his plans of visiting a Volcano Island was out of the question, also, he did not know what he was going to do with his bags once he had dropped the car off. He was hoping to catch up with Harvey’s friend Ollie, though it seemed an awful imposition to expect him to host Nicholas and his luggage for an evening. He had woken to rain and another day of obscured sites. He was intending to go the surfer resort Raglan n which had been recommended to him by many friends and made sure he was well prepared and bought himself a stylish poncho. On his way was the Bridal Falls which not only required a 20-minute walk in the pouring rain but had a drop of 55 meters which once he was at the bottom he realised he would have to climb quite a work out. On his way back to the car he met Esmerelda from the Netherlands and Matt from a small island somewhere; Nicholas asked him twice but couldn’t understand. It transpired that he was originally from Kerala in India. They were going to Raglan too and he gave them a lift. The weather was so dull that he felt little affection for what was a bit like a Cornish town in its typically wet weather. He did have a nice falafel wrap though and enjoyed watching the birds eat his crumbs. He walked around the jetty and the shops before heading to Auckland it was a 2-hour drive through dismal skies and damp looking scenery. He found little in what he saw to cheer him. By the time Nicholas had reached Auckland he had a message from Sandie who he had hoped to see in Hamilton but had not got his message till it was too late and once he was checked in it was simply another piece of news to depress him. A lethargy began to creep through him as he sat in the seedy room and he realised that he needed to shake himself out of such negativity, so he decided to drive into the city, have a walk around and get himself some supper at Lord of The Fries. The moment he hit the road the sun came out lifting not only his spirits but the clouds that had enveloped the city. He could see a fantastic Cityscape with the landmark Sky Tower clearly dominating the sky. He enjoyed walking around the City and the waterfront before heading back to base where he would work things out and hopefully have a good sleep.