Ponsonby, Auckland

I've been here since April doing the design student thing, which is all good. The city is gorgeous, the weather is great - sunshine to keep my spirits perky even in the dead of winter and heavenly heavy rain - and the sushi and coffee are splendid. Many of the people are weirdly up their own arses but I suppose they feel they have a right living in the country's closest thing to a bustling metropolis. The main pedestrian crossings in the city centre can be traversed diagonally which still gives me a thrill.

I've been on the internet a lot recently. The friends I have here are unreliable and (though absolute darlings) are unlikely to remain friends once I hop the island, so its been good to rabbit away and get rambles, sarcastic quips, gossip and other such things a girl can miss when she's far from her boys.

The saleswomen here are terrifyingly assertive - shop assistants seem eager to assist, bank tellers tell you what you should do, even the Dunkin Donut woman has a spiel. No wonder everyone back home hires kiwis, they're customer service crazy. I've heard that Japan is even worse and that you have to swipe them away like flies. I look forward to finding out one day.

The clothes here are great - there are loads of good second hand places. Weird, then, that the local dress is unbelievably dull - black black black and lots of girls with the uniform of cowboy boots over jeans under overlong tshirt under oversized belt, livened up only by the occasional Asian fashion student flouting her stuff. Thank god for her. There are some 'alternative' types who shop here http://www.illicithq.com/ and with Misery, the fantastic designer who has the shop next door. She does wonderful dresses, I'll have to find you a picture. Mine are still the only flares I've seen since I've been here.

Study is like anything, it has its ups and downs. I love the course but I've been getting a little lazy lately. I'm even more lazy when it comes to getting a social life. I get invited to things but it all seems the same. I'm down to one night out most weeks. There are some great djs playing trendy music in trendy little bars around the place but I'm craving a live gig, banter or hard grog. I know, I know, its all down to me, and if I got my act together and went to something I'd probably meet more like-minded people. I know.

Ignore me. Things are quite magical really, I'm here for exactly the right amount of time (mind you I could have done with moving the whole thing on a few months to get the real summer heat) and I have an outstanding visit from Dan, a backpacking jaunt in Northland and some cool Auckland days to look back on. And another 4 and a half months to go!