I used my long stopover in Auckland to book my hostel, have a "modern meal" of KFC, and catch up on e-mails is I haven't had access to the Internet in two weeks. My parents were apparently very worried about me since in my previous message, I told them next contact would be in a bit over a week. Guess I'll need to give better estimates in the future.

Apparently, nearly all domestic flights are cancelled with the exception of Air New Zealand, who kept their flights operating at a lower altitude below the ash clouds, even when they have to shoulder the increased costs. I am glad I booked with them - this is one of the many reasons Air New Zealand is my favourite airline.