dos and donts

DO: check the times for the buses going from Auckland to Opotiki and the public bus times to get to the bus terminal
DON'T: stay up too late the night before taking an early bus on a bus line you've never taken in a country where you've never taken a long distance bus .
DON'T: assume everything is going to plan, even when you're on time for your long distance bus, and happily settled into a bus seat.
DON'T: fall asleep on a long distance bus while wearing head phones, you may miss important messages
DON'T: ignore messages you may hear over your drowsiness and music coming from the bus driver, again, they may be important and relevant to your trip
DO: get a sandwich at a rest stop if you are hungry. even if you think the next leg of the trip will be short
DON'T: ignore your instincts and the fact that being late should not mean being 2 hours late to a destination
DO: check your handy dandy lonely planet guide for towns as you pass them on the bus to check if you are going in the right direction.
DO: talk to the bus driver if you believe you have missed a bus change announced over the PA by the bus driver himself at the previous rest stop. If you are female, show desperation if he should tell you you are definitely going the wrong way. This may become handy in not paying extra for taking the bus farther.
DO: check your lonely planet guide for hostels in the next town, and check to make sure there are farms in that region if you hope to WWOOF there.
DO: thank the bus driver profusely when he tells you he will not charge you extra for traveling across most of the North Island rather than just 3 hours east.
DO: call the hostel ahead of time to check for availability.
DO: confess the whole story to a local donut shop salesperson. They may just take pity on you and give you a bunch of donuts for free. However they will not taste as good as those from Canada.
DO: Show continued desperation in your voice when talking to a wwoofing host who seems to be teetering on needing an extra hand. Chances are they'll even pick you up the next day from your hostel.
DON'T: ask for sheets from your hostel host after 10pm, they'll be grumpy and ready to go to bed. However they will still take your 2 dollars and give you fresh linen.
DO: Thank your lucky stars for the generosity of the bus driver and donut vendor, the handidandiness of the lonely planet guide for getting you into a hostel and into a town called Palmerston North where farming is abundant even though you only meant to go to Opotiki.

Listen to the Brit at the hostel who tells you to ditch Science research and become an actress instead? Undecided.