from the first moment i arrived in wellington, it struck me that this city definitely resembles san francisco. victorian houses, hills, narrow streets, and rich european style influences around, as well as fresh, funky, alternative district too. i love driving around wellington as it brought good memories of reckless driving in SF during my high school times. i think i'm ready to drive in the heavy congested streets of hong kong. i really enjoy driving from the right side seat perspective.
anyway, north island definitely is a backpacker's land. lots of backpackers' hostels and camping sites to be found anywhere. however; most things around here are expensive except for seafood and meat which are relatively cheaper yet excellent quality.
we drove through roturoa and taupo. pretty cool towns.
tomorrow off to take the ferry to south island!
fyi, new zealand's time is 18 hours ahead of eastern standard time (nyc).