Day 4 recap (Sat Feb 12)

[Scott] We had a good flight. We got going a little behind schedule but I think they made up for it with a little extra speed in the air, and we arrived in Auckland on time. The 12 hour flight was by far the longest flight I've ever been on, but fortunately I was able to sleep for four or five hours of it. Stef got some sleep, but had a little more trouble. I bet you can guess who will be sleeping next to the stranger next flight. We didn't have any trouble going through customs, although I thought we might after I snapped a picture and one of the security people called out to me "No Pictures!". Luckily it ended with that, and I'll note that for next time. I wouldn't have had to try very hard to play dumb, with the jet lag and the fact that I pretty much stopped thinking two weeks ago when I left the office to start my sabbatical. For anybody that might be reading that doesn't know, Intel gives every employee an eight week sabbatical after seven years of work. I've been working for them for almost nine years now. Gulp. Almost a decade - where has the time gone? Anybody? But seriously, ask Stef - my brain really did shut off two weeks ago. I think she was concerned when I headed off to Winter Park by myself that I might not remember how to get home. I have to say I'm finding alot of truth to the old saying "ignorance is bliss". I did answer a question or maybe two with "I don't know". It was something about what is our process for picking up our RV. Fortunately, Stef was there and she kicked me (which shut me up) and she went ahead and pulled out all the appropriate documentation for the gentleman. So two strikes against me now. We made it through the customs questioning, picked up our bags without incident, and now it was time for ag inspection. One of the questions is: do you have hiking boots with you? We checked the "yes" box and so we had to completely unpack our suitcase and dig them out for the inspector. I guess they just want to make sure there isn't any dirt on them that could contain worms etc? He took a quick look and said they were the cleanest hiking boots he'd seen. He went into a mini-tirade about how the English act like pigs and never clean their boots. Of course I didn't tell him that we just happened to have been snowshoeing (and the snow of course gave them a great wash) last time we used them.
Alright, we're out of the airport. Thirty minute shuttle ride to our hotel in the city, and it's around 8am on Saturday (we lost Friday when we crossed the International Dateline). The hotel is full so we can't check in until the usual afternoon check-in time. I knew that wasn't going to be good for our sleep schedule (we're obviously exhausted). We ate a buffet breakfast here which was pretty good and really filled us up, and then we decided to go check out downtown Auckland, which is just a short five minute bus ride. It's a really nice city - clean, friendly people, no traffic, no honking, well architected buildings with character. I think the cleanliness struck me most. All of the areas we drove by and walked around were very well kept. Basically it's the exact opposite of LA. Probably reminds me most of San Fran or Seattle, although still very different from either of those. Stef said the buildings and the feel very much reminded her of European cities. The only foreign countries I had been to before this were Canada and Mexico! (oh I forgot - and LA) Of course, Auckland would be a small US City, so you can't really compare. The population of Auckland is just over a million I believe, and the entire population of New Zealand is only 4 million. There are alot more sheep than people in NZ, with upwards of 40 million. Naturally, you see wool sweaters, socks, etc for sale everywhere, and lamb is a featured item on the menus. It is certainly a different world over here - a very refreshing change. So we walked around the waterfront and just took in the city for awhile. The harbour is beautiful and full of sailboats. A nickname they have for it is the "City of Sails". The temperature is in the 70s and sunny (or shiny as they say here). Definitely a lot more humid than Colorado, but not bad at all. Perfect weather really. We were so exhausted we just wanted to be entertained a bit, so we took the bus out to Kelly Tarlton's Under Water Adventure - the city's aquarium. (www.kellytarltons.co.nz) You walk through this tube that's in this huge fish tank. I think I was at a similar one in the US before. They have small sharks and manta rays, and assorted other fish. They also had a penguin exhibit, and a museum on Captain Scott's exploration of Antarctica which was pretty interesting. This place didn't wow us, but we liked it enough to make it worthwhile. So now it's 2pm and we can head to our hotel to check-in and get some rest! We passed out so quickly that we forgot to set an alarm. I didn't wake up until 11pm, at which time I was wide awake. It sure was nice to be in a normal bed that was actually comfortable! I had basically just gotten a full night's sleep. So after laying in bed for over an hour, I got up and worked out for an hour or so in the small workout room they have, and then I was basically up all night reading. It's 6am and I'm going to bed for a couple hours now before we take off for our day trip to Waiheke Island. Oh man, I am suffering from some serious jet lag! My internal clock is very confused. Stef was the smart one - seasoned traveler that she is - she forced herself to sleep through from 3pm to 6am. Well hopefully I can get back on schedule tomorrow... We have one more night in Auckland and then we head out to explore more of New Zealand's North Island. (Click for Map)