I've got a plan!

I'm still in Auckland (arrived Saturday) and after a lot of obsessing, I have a plan. There are three different companies that run hop-on, hop-off bus networks, each a little different - different routes, different philosophy etc. Plus, each company offers more than 10 different pass options depending on how much of the country you want to see. I have literally spent days pouring over the different brochures, consulting my Lonely Planet Guide, the Internet, and other travellers trying to figure out which would suit me best in terms of personality as well as budget and time constraints (I'll be leaving NZ in a little over a month, if you can believe it) and what I want to see/do. I've decided to cut down a lot on the north island potential itinerary for now and go almost directly to the south island, stopping to hit a few things I really want to do most of all (I found it is best to blog about things after I do them as plans often change rapidly and completely, so you'll have to wait to find out what those are).

I'm staying in Auckland one more day to tie up some loose ends, including replacing one pair of jeans that I've been wearing almost constantly. Today, I went on a free day trip around Auckland which included a bridge walk on the Auckland Harbour Bridge to where they have a bungy jump off the bridge (didn't jump, maybe later in another location).