Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington seems modern and fun (and as windy as its reputation), but I only spent the night there, leaving the next morning on the ferry to the South Island. First off, I was really impressed by the infrastructure in New Zealand - great public transportation, the price tags in the supermarkets are electronic, and everything is clean and sleek. In one of their public squares, I snapped a photo of one of the odder sculptures I've seen:

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Details:
I flew Nadi (NAN) to Auckland (AKL) on Air Pacific ($195). Then, I had to change terminals to the domestic terminal upon arrival at Auckland, about a 15 minute walk, following a blue and white line. There is also a white shuttle bus. I flew down to Wellington on Pacific Blue, the budget airline in Oz and NZ ($36), but the flight was really pretty good (I lucked out with an emergency exit seat). Wellington has a very frequent airport transfer service ($4 one way) that drops off downtown, among other locations. There are three hostels within a few blocks of the first stop in the city, YHA Wellington, The Base Wellington, and the Cambridge Hotel. I stayed at Cambridge and was impressed with the place for its awesome bathrooms and neat dorm. The supermarket is only two blocks away as well.