Heading North, in my limo

Friday the 13th, must be my lucky day. Today I was going to pick up my 4+1 wheels which was going to take me around New Zealand. The place was some 2km from the hostel so I would walk down there, drive back and get my gear, pick up the cable I was missing for the flash and  then be on my way.
Was walking towards the rental office along the way there are a couple of people joining the walk with their suitcases. Yup, they were all going for the same rental company, Jucy. There are lots of different companies renting out in New Zealand, even though there are good bus systems and people claim that a car is not needed at all. Being well ahead of time, I had taken what I could get. Talked to some people, they booked their stuff 3-4 months ago, realized that I shouldn't complain booking mine just 1-2 days earlier. I had taken the cheapest option I could get and opted for their cheapest insurance also, The Risk Taker, oh yeah!
Did the inspection of the vehicle, all the damages on the car were noted, and I had to sign for it. Didn't think too much of it at that point, such a big company must have their paperwork in order, right? I got an automatic which probably would make things a little easier, not having to shift with the left hand.
Drove back to the hostel to pick up my luggage and was more or less ready to hit the road. Just wanted to make a call to the dive shop and confirm they had my cable ready for pickup. Of course they had not received it, so what was I to do now? I drove around too all dive shops in Auckland to get a stupid $20 cable that I could have gotten in Sports Chalet in the US. Found one shop that had the wrong version and had it priced at $77, they must be crazy. Long story short, I did not get it and it was now 14:00 and I decided to give them a call again, but still no luck. Whatever, couldn't wait for something that "might" arrive at some point.
A little disappointed I jumped in the car and set off, destination, Cape Reinga. Wasn't exactly sure where I was going but found a freeway and a sign pointing towards the North, so why not go that way.
To rent a GPS would have cost me $10 a day, so I figured that if I found a cheap GPS for less than $300, I kind of got it for free. Shortly after there was a toll road, so I decided to take the scenic route instead and find something to eat. While having lunch I found that I was really close to a Wallmart kind of store, so after lunch I went there to invest my money in a new toy. The cheapest ok option was at $179, that was now mine. Back on the road Amy found the location pretty fast and we were ready to (rock and) roll
The car only had radio, but no problem, I had my phone with me and plenty of music on it, just had to switch the FM transmitter on and find a station, then there would be music. The radio though only had frequencies from 76 to 90MHz, where normal radios have from 88-108 or something like that. Turned out that this car was imported from Japan, and did not have the radio changed. WFT? The 88-90MHz was of course full of radio channels that were boring but interfered enough with my phone broadcast that it became unbearable to listen to. This was shit!
The drive though was pretty smooth, Amy told me where to go and I went there, teamwork. At some point I noticed that my new investment, the USB charger for my phone, did not work. Don't know what the problem seems to be, but it doesn't work at least. I figured I needed something to drink and eat between the cities or if I had a small problem with the car, so pulled over to a "big" shopping mall that Amy found for me. Ended up parking in front of a electronic store, so went in there and got myself a power inverter. Now the car was equipped with 230v as well, I wonder what else will be added on before I leave this country?
I stopped at a few places along the road all the way up North, but not for too long. Had it planned so that I could make it up there by sunset and then go back to the first hostel I could find.
When the sun was really low on the sky I finally figured out that the watch in the car was one hour behind and I would not be able to make it up there afterall.
45 minutes away I decided to find a place for the night and 2 minutes later I passed a sign with rooms free. They had regular rooms for $77 and then 4-shared rooms for $25.
She said I could get a 4-shared room for myself, as there were nobody else there than another couple who were in another room. Really old house that had been brushed up a little and converted into a hostel. Kind of nice though in it's only weird way. A chain on the door? haha
Cellphone reception wasn't the best, the phone ended up being suspended in the window from the wire and some tape to get the best signal