Tuesday 24th June
There was no football on for another few days so I had a great lie-in, not getting up until 10.30. The room felt like a furnace as all of the heaters had been kicked into action, but it felt good as it was starting to get very cold outside.
I headed into town to get a few more things, thinking it best to get them while I could in Auckland. It turned into a horrible day: wet, windy and cold, a real pain in the ass and a sure sign that this is what I would be up against for the next few weeks. That's what I get for going to NZ in the winter!
I was planning on getting the bus to the clinic but had to go back to the hostel to pick up the casting that the doctor in Australia had given to me. I would have been charged extra for the materials if I hadn't brought it with me (I would get it all back on insurance anyway, but better to keep the cost and waste down if at all possible). This proved to be a stroke of luck as Kelly – a girl from Texas who was staying in my dorm room – offered to drive me to the hospital, which was very good of her. I was very happy to take her up on the offer, especially on such a shitty day.
Once at the hospital, I was seen by the orthopedic specialist. My splint cast was taken off and a new fibreglass one was put on (a ravishing purple colour) and an x-ray taken to make sure that the broken bone was aligned properly. I got the thumbs up from the doctor and he gave me some advice on how I should take care of myself on the remainder of the trip. Being aware that I was very keen to take advantage of some of the activities on offer in New Zealand, he didn't warn me off anything in particular, but just told me to use my common sense when it came to some of the more physical stuff. So, fair play to him for that. All of the staff were very friendly to me and I was very happy with how they treated me. I just hoped that I would get all of my money back through my insurance company!
I left the hospital and stepped back into a shocker of a night: it seemed to have gotten worse in the three hours since I had entered the hospital. I got on the bus and decided to skip making dinner for myself, seeing as my arm had been put in a sling for the night, and went instead to Wendy's and had a burger and chips. I finally made my way back to the warmth of Bamber House and decided to get an early night instead of beginning my packing. I was knackered after a busy day and needed to get a decent nights sleep, as I was due to finally leave Auckland the following morning.
