The sun shone brightly into the room for a good hour before the noise of the traffic below woke us. At least it was reasonably early (a little after 7). Shower #1, clogged with dirt, shower #2 scalding (even on the cold setting). Upstairs and showers #3 and #4 in use. Down two floors and showers #5 and #6 in use. Reported the shower status back to base camp and went back to queue outside #3 and #4. #3 immediately available but largely clogged with hair. Hmm. Shower anyway with a bonus rinse of the feet. Definately [University] halls of residence stuff, this. Which is quite worrying as looking at the 8am breakfast crowd, I'd say the four or five people in their 50's and 60's pulled the average age up to late thirties if not early forties.
The weather was looking good so we said that if we got our chores done by 11 then we'd go up the Sky Tower. Naturally, our chores immediately reduced to phoning Tonga for a room (first call, job done), sorting out baggage for the day (use the locker, d'oh!), car hire (any will do -- looks like it'll cost a little extra for the ferry crossing) and sorting out the Airbus back to the airport ("stand outside 'til the bus comes!"). Up the tower we go!
As only we seem to be able to, we stand watching the documentary about building the tower for ten minutes before even buying tickets. We pay extra (a whopping NZ$ 3 pp) to go to the Sky View, two thirds up at 220m. Tower afficienadoes will note that this is identical to the Eiffel Tower. I know this because a plaque said so. Paris is a flat sprawling city with the usual city smog, Auckland has bays, islands, natural harbours, hills and in the distance, mountains. Besides, this was the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere looking down on the largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere and the Americas Cup Village, though you can't see a lot other than GB Challenge packing up to go home...
Net Club had a final bow. There's something ever so charming aboutthe Korean version of Windows -- at least the hotkeys are the same -- and a room full of Koreans shrieking at each other playing their multiplayer network games. Oddly, for the first time, the comfy chairs of the long-termers in the darkened rear were empty. Hey, these guys have lives too!
Having taken advantage of the facilities at the hostel we went to sit outside for the Airbus and stop! Helen's lost her sunglasses. Cue three Airbusses to pass by during the hunt but no show. Helen stays remarkably cool.
We're late-ish at the airport (well, not hours early anyway), there's a slow queue to pay the NZ$ 22 departure tax -- 17 for airport development -- and an even slower queue to check-in . We check-in as the boarding gates opened and there was [still] a fair queue behind us. Such things don't worry the intrepid shopper and having failed to contact Sky Tower Helen purchased [a pair of sunglasses] in duty free. Except it's a collect-after-customs which takes even more time. We rush to the departure gate. Nothing happens for half-an-hour. Just as it [the plane] should be taking off, the gate opens for business.
Tonga airport is a plodding affair with much confusion for non-regulars. Everyone on the plane has to get off (next stops: Apia and Los Angeles). We stand in a very slow immigration queue before picking our bags off the floor. The quarantine man (we have a sea shell and a wooden bao board which we have to declare a la New Zealand) hides in a corner and wasn't interested [in the shell or board]. The customs man wanted the quarantine slip and also wasn't interested. In the rugby scrum outside (Polynesians are stout chaps) we spot our guest house name and get garlands of flowers. Looks good. We gather a motley crew of people and head off.
Tony's guesthouse is, um, basic. But at least it doesn't leak as the heavy rain demonstrates. No particular facilities and the other guests seem happy enough in this state. Fair enough but we are both looking forward to somewhere else tomorrow... Preferably, [one] not so green, either.
No GPS reading. I forgot! 
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.