I Have a Blog?!

This is the first sentence of my first post! What a start. I was supposed to post before I left per Laura’s advice, but I can’t build this blog on a lie and I must confess that I am already in New Zealand, deliriously tired but determined to start blogging. I have been assured I will find my blog voice eventually – which may or may not be as deep as my real voice – as I attempt to capture some stories from my New Zealand adventure. Here we go!

So let’s backtrack approximately 24 hours ago to October 31. And no, for the record, passengers and flight attendants do not tend to dress up even when traveling on Halloween. After a few days in LA seeing family and friends and my old house, eating too much (if you’re ever in LA – eat at Mozza), being overwhelmed by a city of 13 million people, and showing Becky the city for the first time, we headed to LAX with far too much luggage for Uncle John’s Ford Focus. $50 later for me, and quite a bit more for Becky, our bags were checked and thankfully out of our hands. And they all made it all the way here! On time! Not damaged! Nothing exploded! After all the talk about the trip to NZ, we were finally sitting at the gate waiting, making our last phone calls. Still didn’t seem real, are we actually doing this?! The 13-hour flight consisted mostly of zzzzs, thanks to a little free wine, and somehow skipping entirely over November 1, thanks to the International Date Line or something else I don’t understand. Anyway, it’s really a shame Air New Zealand doesn’t operate flights around the US. Best airline. The first glimpse of the North Island was unreal. After so many hours of flying over the Pacific, land was a welcome sight especially when it looked like this.

Customs in Auckland was a breeze, people working at airports in NZ are so happy. Seems to be a trend around here. We followed the green-lined road to the domestic terminal, happy to stretch our legs and breathe in some fresh Kiwi air. And then we were off to Christchurch, where I currently sit…I am here to tell you that New Zealand actually does exist (I wasn’t quite sure before I arrived), and I will tell you all about what I have learned and done so far in the next post.

Not sure if it is customary to dedicate a blog, but I feel compelled to do so. I don’t know if I would be here in the land of the long white cloud if it weren’t for a few people…Jesse, Laura, and Erin, thank you for blazing the trail and for the endless advice. After hearing your stories and seeing your pictures, how could we not come here? Most of all, thank you for introducing us to the Vanderties, quite possibly the most generous people in the world, who have already made us feel like we are coming home after traveling half way around the world. To Mama and Daddy, for everything. And finally, to my travel partner, Becky, I couldn’t ask for a better friend to accompany me on these adventures – Vista Verde, 4UR, and now Owen River Lodge! Thanks for always knowing the Friends quote I am referring to, for making me see the positive side of things, and for putting up with my neat-freakishness.