35 hours later

*** This was supposed to have been uploaded 2 days ago but my internet time ran out before I could hit post*****

I am here in New Zealand! Only have a couple of minutes so just a quick recap so far. Every single flight was delayed and our luggage got lost (sort of - they did find it eventually) and it took 35 hours get here. That is an awfully long time to travel. I did a similar length of trip when I went to Israel in Grade 10 but I don't remember it seeming that long. Anyway, back to the point, I'm here! And overall, it was a lovely, albeit long, trip. Air Pacific is a fantastic airline. The service was exceptional and aside from the planes being old with glitches in the tv (everyone gets their own and mine wouldn't play the games that they had but not as bad as the lady next to us who could only play games and not watch any movies) they were quite comfortable. We had a long layover in Fiji so we went to the beach with a girl we met from Seattle. We paid a bit extra at the airport to get a voucher so that we could be allowed into the Sheraton to use their beach, washrooms, pool, etc. It was absolutely beautiful. We are very excited for our few days there at the end of the trip. New Zealand has strict security about what you can and can't take into the country so it took us an hour to get through the MAF line (which is their Agricultural screening line). About 1000 times more strict then their actual customs it seemed. Seriously, don't ever try to bring a dirty used tent in. Even my brand new hiking shoes had to be clean before I could bring them (which they were since I've only been wearing them in snow).

We had a lovely girl pick us up from the airport who is the daughter of a lady that our moms knew back in the day. It was nice not to have to find a shuttle and we really appreciated that. The hostel is quite nice (City Garden Lodge in the Parnell area of Auckland - I'd recommend it) and we will be here for 2 nights. Then on to who knows where!

I am quite happy that the temperature is 25 degrees and that that is above Zero.