Friday 20th June
I was up early, about 07.00 in an effort to get into town before the shops opened; I was expecting there to be a queue forming outside the Kathmandu store and wanted to make sure that I got my hands on some of the bargains on offer in their sale.
I was also intereted to see if there was anywhere that was showing the Germany-Portugal game, the first of the Euro 2008 quarter-final matches. On the walk into town, I called into pub that was showing it on the TV. Thinking that there were only a handful of die-hards inside, I was surprised on opening the door to see a couple of hundred people, a very international mix, engrossed in the game. Kick-off was at 06.45, so it suited anyone on their way to work (or coming back from a big night out). Germany ended up winning 3-2, a result I was happy enough with. As they say, you should never count out the Germans (and the Portuguese can be a very difficult team to support, apart from when they play England, of course!).
I got to the Kathmandu store at 08.50 and there were only three other people waiting when I got there. That meant that I got all that I wanted and left happy that I had secured a bargain and made a good investment.
I walked back to the hostel and took it easy for a few hours before heading out in search of a hospital where I could get someone to look at my arm. I was under the impression that there was a clinic nearby but, after walking a good way in what turned out to be the wrong direction, I realised that there was nothing in the vicinity of Mount Eden. I asked at a shop and the people there were very helpful and pointed me in the direction of the main Auckland Hospital. It was a bus journey away and when I got there the receptionist advised me to head for a private medical centre called the Ascot Clinic, which would apparently save me time and money.
I got to the clinic in Ascot and was seen by a doctor and a few nurses who listened to my story. I was expecting them to just replace the plaster cast with the fibreglass cast that I had been given in the hospital in Murwillumbah. Much to my disappointment, they told me I would have to come back again the following Tuesday to see a specialist before they could send me on my way. It meant I would have to stay longer in Auckland than I would have liked, but I could also understand why the medical staff took this approach, they were only being professional.
I made my way back to the hostel and made dinner and got chatting to some of the guys in the hostel. There were a lot of Germans there, more than any other nationality. I had met a lot of Germans in Australia but it had never been like this! Some of the people in the hostel were living there long-term and working around the city. There were also quite a few North Americans and I got speaking to Jo Ann from Oregon, Caitlin from California, and Amanda & Danika from Winnipeg. One of the managers was having a birthday party and the place was full of people having fun. Danika, Amanda, Caitlin and I took a walk up mount Eden to take a look at the city at night. It was a chilly night, but I warmed up after a good walk and the sky was clear, making for perfect conditions for a view over Auckland.
We got back to the hostel and I had a brief chat to some of the guys before going to bed as I wanted to be up early the next morning to watch more football.
