I'm finally here!

(The waterfont in Auckland. Lots of cafes and people catching happy hour)






I finally made it to Auckland! I stepped off the grueling 12hr plane trip onto NZ soil for the first time and took a deep breath. The air was fresh (yes, suprising at the Airport) and had a sweet smell from spring blossoms. I was already impressed by the friendliness and civility of the customs officers in NZ. Suprisingly conversational and nice, contrary to our usual serious and strict treatment in the states.

In a daze, I boarded the bus for my hostel and forgot they drive on the other side of the road! Commuted during morning traffic, or lack there of. Nothing like Seattle-almost no backups. The city seems much more relaxed and people seem happy and not so rushed. Hardly any graphiti and trash in the streets, it seems to be a nice, clean city. The water in the harbour is turquoise blue and the air a slight salty smell. My hostel is pretty nice and clean, sharing a room with 3 other guys.

Internet seems to be a lucrative industry here. Rates are about 3-5 NZ dollars/hr. In starbucks, wireless internet is $15/hr! It seems no one is on laptops in coffee shops. In fact, I haven't seen a laptop yet.

My family friends Tom and Micki are arriving in Wellington in 3 days, so I might go try to see them. For domestic airfare, there is no 2 week window to avoid, a flight to Wellington (1hr) three days from now costs about $115 NZ (one way). This works out to about $70 US.

Well, I'll post more later when I'm not so jet lagged!