The hostel I stayed at was a mixed bag, but I later learned the negatives weren't hostel specific but country wide. Freeman's Lodge was a privately owned hostel (which I find are the better hostels if they're well operated since they offer more character and uniqueness) - an old (very old) house that was converted into a hostel. So it was in a residential area (an area known as Freeman's Bay), meaning a good quiet sleep at night, and about 10-15 minute walk to the downtown core of Auckland (though a portion of the walk went through a slightly sketchy part of town). The dorm room was definitely the best I ever stayed at in a hostel - single twin bed, no bunks, 5 beds in the room, equipped with lockers, a fridge(!), a computer with internet, and a wifi router (since the dorm room was in a separate building in the backyard). The free wifi I unknowingly took for granted (you'll find out more about what I mean later on), but the best part was the beds - 3-4 star hotel quality mattresses, pillows, and comforter! I'm not kidding...falling asleep was no problem in this hostel (it was the closest feeling I had during my trip to sleeping in my own bed). The bathrooms were another story though - like I said before, backpacking in Japan ruined hostels everywhere else for me hahaha. I quickly learned the majority of buildings in NZ don't have any form of central air, meaning they open the window almost all the time in the summer (it was early summer in NZ during this time), meaning plenty of bugs everywhere. It's not that big of a deal really, I'm just not used to sharing a shower with flies and spiders when I'm indoors.
The dorm room.
After getting settled in a bit, I walked over to the nearest convenience store (which they refer to as a "dairy" store there), and was surprised that I had to pay $3 NZD (about $2.40 CDN) for a 1.5L bottle of water and $2 NZD (about $1.60 CDN) for a small bag of chips (the same size you find in those "snack packs")! Despite the Canadian dollar being stronger, I was really surprised to find NZ to be this expensive (I was under the impression NZ was supposed to be cheaper). I spent a bit more time chilling out in the nice dorm room, looking up what I could do in Auckland the next few days (I booked 4 nights at the hostel just to settle in) and how I could get around NZ. I actually lost track of time until I realized it was about 7:30 and I needed to grab some dinner. So I walked 10 minutes uphill to the nearby Ponsonby area to the street known for its quirky restaurants and cafes...I didn't see that many to be quite honest (I don't know what all the buzz is about). I ended up having some Malaysian fast food in one of Auckland's many Asian fast food courts (great for people on budgets and Auckland's many university students).
My first actual photo in New Zealand (the 2 above were taken days after). The International Food Court is where I ate my first meal in NZ.
Along Ponsonby. There was a very small "park" with some seemingly random, strange structures.
Along the walk back to the hostel (wasn't feeling up to exploring in the night when I needed some sleep). Like I said, Freeman's Bay was a residential area. The typical houses were old English architecture styles. The last photo is of Auckland CBD (central business district, how they refer to the downtown area of any city). The tower is Auckland's tallest structure, the Sky Tower.
Outside Freeman's Lodge.
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