And So It Begins

Hello from the other side of the world!

Where do I begin? Well, we left the San Francisco Airport at 8:45pm Saturday the 6^th and arrived in Auckland, NZ at 5:40am on Monday the 8^th – yes, our 7 October 2012 has disappeared into a wrinkle in time. NZ is VERY strict about what you bring into the country and what you must claim. As I was filling out the little entry form on the plane, I realized that I had stashed some food in one of my checked bags. Food, any type of food, is not permitted into the country. I figured they would allow me an opportunity to throw stuff away from my checked bag… but I was still a little panicked. We got off the enormous plane (Boeing 747 for those of you who I know care) and flew threw immigrations and collected our bags from carousel 1. I knew right where the food was so I tore through my bag as soon as I had my hands on it. The dogs were making their way over right as I pulled it out and made my way to the nearest garbage. I’ve never been so afraid of a black lab in my life. Of course, nothing happened. We claimed our hiking boots in customs and that went just fine once we figured out what suitcase they were in. Then we were free! Out into the crisp, pre-dawn NZ air!

Chris in front of an intricate Maori carving at the Auckland Airport

We took a shuttle to where our new car (yay Mazda!) was parked at a nearby hotel. We decided to stay at the hotel for the day and leave the next morning. We did a little exploring in the car and made sure to stay left. It wasn’t TOO nerve racking, but it was certainly intense.

Today, Tuesday the 9^th, we made our way down to Rotorua. The drive was marvelous and we got some motorway (freeway?) driving time!

Rotorua is a beautiful town with a thriving Maori influence. We had a lovely time walking around the lake and finding random geothermal hot spots. (It’s very Yellowstone-esque.)  

We do miss everyone back in America! We’re keeping you in our thoughts and will keep you updated as we find free Internet!