Moving In To A Flat In Auckland

Housemates (Scott & Harriet) In The New Flat

After a year of traveling the world, finally I have a room again to call my own. No more hostels; no more being woken up in the night because a group of rowdy drunkens are stomping through the room at an unearthly hour, or being told off because I was one of the rowdy drunkens stomping through the room at an unearthly hour. No more sharing a bathroom with 15 other people or having my orange juice in the fridge suddenly disappearing without it touching my lips. I mean don't get me wrong - it's fun living in a hostel but theres a time when you just want to step into your own room and shut the door and thats that.

It took a while to sort out the flat we are currently living in, within Auckland's city centre. The main issue was numbers - we just didn't know how many people wanted to move in because no-one is ever sure what they are doing. Kate and Rob (now a couple) were off traveling the South Island and then may leave New Zealand. Tom wanted to move in but his visa runs out in a few months and thought it would probably be a lot more trouble than it's worth. In the end it ended up as Myself, Harriet and a Canadian guy called Scott who we knew from our days in Taupo and who wanted to move up to the big city. Harriet and I did the groundwork, vistiting half a dozen places or more before deciding to go with pretty much the first flat we had seen.

It's a cool little flat, a very modern place, fully furnished with all the mod-cons you could ask for, including flatscreen TV and even a dishwasher - thank god. The flat gives us free use of a gym, lap-pool and steam room within the apartment block complex, which is situated, literally by a one minute walk from the Auckland Skytower (the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere......how many people can say that???). The balcony is also a very handy feature although it doesn't boast the best view - still it isn't too bad.

The flat has been ideal now the three of us are working in the city. Volcanology at the university continues to roll on. I'm really enjoying the work that i'm doing and often get a chance to go out in the field or meet guests (specialists in their field from all over the world), and who often provide presentations or current research.

Summer really turned on the heat too. I didn't realise that NZ could become so tropical in it's climate. Living in Auckland became like living in a swimming pool - except there's no pool and you don't actually have to swim. The temperature soared but the humidity soared higher. I believe on one day - it was the hottest day in Auckland for some uncountable number of years and humidity reached pretty much 100%. Dripping is an understatement!!!

Our weeks of late have been mainly back into student life. We work during the week (although we actually do work.....unlike in my student days) and go out on the bar scene at the weekend (very much like my student days). It was also Harriet's 21st Birthday, which we celebrated by decorating the new flat and giving out presents before having a huge birthday meal and then going out for drinks. Her birthday also happens to fall on St. Patricks Day so the party went on.

We do still manage to make time for trips away. The weekend before Harriet's birthday we decided to take Rob's car out and head to the Coromandel Peninsula, where we reunited with an old friend.................