Arrival in New Zealand

The travel to NZ was smooth sailing, just a very long trip of over 24 hours door to door.  My lovely hosts at Ascot Parnell B and B sent me a "warning" e-mail about hiking and camping equipment coming into the country.  Thanks to their advice, I took a scrub brush to my hiking boots to remove any traces of mud or debris that could possibly bring seeds or any other contaminants into NZ.  When you come through customs, if you have not claimed hiking or camping equipment, or they find the boots/equipment have not been sanitized, there is a fine of $200.  The Kiwis take Bio-security very seriously which I find as a wonderful precursor to my studies on conservation and sustainability.  Oh, and upon inspection, the officer commented "Very nice, you could give lessons".                                                  

                                                     Bart met me as soon as I left customs and transported me to their lovely B and B.  Fortunately, I did sleep for about 6-7 hours on the 12 hour flight from LA to Auckland so I was ready to explore Auckland. And this is winter??  It was absolutely gorgeous.  Blue skies, temperature in the 60's, and a crisp fall feeling in the air.  The weather forecast for the following day was rain, so I decided to catch a ferry to Rangitoto for a hike. Lesson number 1:  Never leave without rain protection.  Within five minutes of heading to a bank to exchange currency, the rain began.  So, back to the B and B to grab my jacket.  Lesson number 2:  Always carry a rain jacket so it won't rain!  



View of Downtown Auckland from ferry



        Auckland is a very friendly city.  Known as the "City of Sails", it is a natural harbor that provides the local economy the opportunity to ship over $5 billion in goods overseas,  mostly fresh produce and animal products. The people are relaxed, non-hurried, and helpful.  In one of the guide books that I read before arriving, it stated that the Kiwis have a great sense of humor. If asked where something is located, they will reply "It is just a bit down the road". And the guide book author stated that could be a few kilometers to over 100. When walking back from the ferry yesterday to the B and B, I got a little turned around along the way, so I asked several people for directions to Parnell.  I had to laugh when most replies were "It is just a bit over there" or "It is quite a bit over there" or "You have a good bit to go".  And, just so you know, the farthest of the three is "you have a good bit to go"; which is not what you want to hear when you are feeling jet lag and have just hiked to the top of Rangitoto, a volcano.