Very excited when we woke up and found ourselves docked at the main pier in Auckland. It's right in the centre of town, literally across the road from the city centre. We had packed last night so after breakfast we began the process of getting off the ship. Some slight confusions as to what forms we had to fill in, but eventually we were checked in as arriving in New Zealand and we went to look for our hire car. That was supposed to be there for 8am but finally rolled up at 9. A bit annoying.

But, within 5 minutes we were on the road, excited to be off an exploring. A nice little car, pretty new, automatic and with a gps. Traffic wasn't too bad to say it was rush hour in the busiest city in North Island and by about 930 we were past the airport and into open countryside. All very green and agricultural, not unlike rural America in parts. Lots of cows. Where are all the sheep???? Didn't see a single one all morning.