Rotorua and my last room

The hangi wasn't quite what I expected. It was a lot larger and felt very commercialized leaving me with an awkward feeling. It was a bit like watching a diorama in a museum except composed of real people. Eventually it seemed to get better and I was quite interested. It was very interesting when they were educating on their culture and tatooing. The food afterwards was pretty good, if not a little untraditional - neither lamb nor chicken were on the island, though I supopse it's not like we could eat native birds anymore. Dessert was chocolate cake and fruit salad, also a little odd.

The next day, I journeyed to the Polynesian Spa which was quite nice. From what I understand, it is built on natural geothermal hot springs which warm a number of pools to varying temperatures. It was very relaxing with a view that opens out on to the Lake Rotorua.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera for the hangi, and didn't have it for the spa, either, so I've practially no pictures since I left the glacier a week or so ago. Part of that, of course, is because I've been treading a lot of the same ground.
I did get some night shots of the cathedral in CHCH:



I also got some pictures of a girl feeding seagulls by Lake Rotorua. I think I have some better ones, but I had my camera set to underexposed by accident, and have to brighten them digitally. After she ran out of bread, the birds weren't done with her. She backed up to her parents' car and leaned back, arms spread out and a rather scared look on her face while the gulls surrounded her in a giant mass. It was almost too cute to handle.


I'm in Auckland now. I was hoping for a dorm room at a backpacker, but their number was busy. I hopped ab us hoping I could get a room anyway. I've learned one lesson since - when phones are busy, rooms are full. After two incidents of that nature, I've decided it's a pretty good rule to follow. They sent me to a backpacker a few doors down. For $18, I got to sleep in a really, really cramped room with five other people, their laundry and belongings strewed across the floor in a dark, dirty looking hostel. It would have been similar to catching a room for the night in a college house owned by a bunch of slovenly guys who had crammed entirely too many people in. The room I would have had, had enough room for three bunks (six beds) and just enough room to walk in and a small area in the middle of the three sets (set against three walls). Normally, I'd not mind being in a messy area, but this was pretty bad, and smelled rather dank. There was barely room for my stuff, and it was the first time I'd ever felt uncomfortable leaving my camera in the room. I decided I'd spend a bit more and get a single room at the first backpacker.

I leave in less than a day. Despite a seven hour layover in LA, I leave LA earlier than I leave Auckland. Any ideas what I should do?