went all over auckland today. yesterday we went to the north shore area to a really horrible place. still trying to wash away memories of that one! today we went to west auckland to see a place 50% better. it was out in glen eden. there was a dead duck in the front yard. they said there's a lot of ducks in west auckland. ew...

then we went over to mt. albert. the place we looked at was very close to a university called unitech. the place was 50% better. hey, it keeps improving! the good thing during this trip was that we got to see what the suburbs are like. we also got to walk through unitech and see what a new zealand university is like. we walked past a landmark. where the first maori who sailed to new zealand landed in 950. pretty cool!

te waka mataatua

then we went over to the next suburb called three kings. this was the best place yet. it was all clean. nothing gave me the creeps. the lady was very friendly. the price isn't so bad and includes all utilities, including internet. they even have a washing machine. so that one looks good. it's 2 stages away from the city (bus ride). our bus ride back to the hostel took 15 minutes. i expect it takes longer earlier in the day when it's more crowded. there's shops close by to the place as well. right after viewing it, we ate at a kebab/mexican place! i think the cook was indian. we had a samosa and a vegetarian burrito. it was like no other burrito i have ever eaten before! bizare in a way. it was cold. "i don't think they know you're supposed heat up the tortilla," said twiddle thumbs.

we have an appointment to view a place tomorrow. the lady seems really friendly because she said she would pick us up to show the place. cool! we are also hoping to see another place that prefers a "tidy vegetarian". we know how the last vegetarian place went, so i'm apprehensive. however they did request tidy. we also have an appointment at a temp agency tomorrow so hopefully we'll soon be employed AND have a place to live.