I met Meagan in the departure bay at the Vancouver International Airport, before leaving on our unpredictable journey together. I was a little emotional after saying goodbye to my family, but it felt like a good thing, getting on the Alaskan Airlines plane. My mom gave me her silver Native eagle ring, which I'll wear forever. It was scary leaving Canada, but so exciting at the same time. Meagan and I had no idea what to expect of New Zealand, or each other really. Once we arrived in Los Angeles, we had five hour layover until our departing flight to Auckland. Meagan and I decided that we were both hungry, so we ate at a small restaurant in the airport. Little did we know that soon we'd be chased throught the airport by security guard after leaving Canadian cash on the table, rather than American. They can leave their currency wherever the f*** they want, and we get chased! That pissed us both off, as we HAD no American cash. Oh well, we laughed after. Our flight to Auckland was great. The Qantas staff were so friendly, and their accents got us excited for the trip ahead. When we landed in Auckland, it was 5:00am, pitch black, and a little chilly. The New Zealand customs was not impressed that I was jobless, homeless, and planless. They suggested a few places that I should stay that night haha. We proceeded onto quarantine, where they were unimpressed with the fact that I had brought tramping boots that had touched Canadian soil. All in all though, they were a good crowd, a good first impression of kiwis, very friendly! Meagan and I caught a bus for only $13NZ, which took us from the airport for 45 minutes until we were downtown Auckland, on Queen Street. We had a little paper with a list of local backpackers, so we decided to venture in the darkness until we reached Auckland International Hostel. We waited on the curb for a bit, until it actually opened haha. It poured on us, and we munched on our snacks that Qantas gave us on the way over. The man at the desk was friendly and he gave us a few maps telling us what attractions we could visit in Auckland. Meagan decided that we should visit the Auckland Museum, which turned out to be a pretty cool place. We saw a lot of Maori ( the New Zealand natives) history and culture, vegetation, animals, war, and volcanoes. We went inside this little set, where we got to experience what it would be like to be in Auckland when a volcano errupted. The walls started shaking, and the floor began shifting, the lights flickered, and we stared out our fake little window to look out into the sea where the volcano waqs exploding. It was kind of scary... haha. After the museum, we tramped up Mount Eden, which gave us an incredible view of the Auckland skyline, and the sea behind it. Auckland is known as "the city of sails", due to the overwhelming amount of sailboats anchored in the harbours. We aren't sure what we'll be doing tomorrow, but we are up for anything. It's just amazing to finally be here after so much waiting and anticipation in Canada. I already have fallen in love with New Zealand's beauty! I just had a cold shower, not by choice, and now I am off to the communal kitchen in the hostel, to make rice and veggies. Tomorrow I am off to get a New Zealand bank account. Goodnight!