Of course, we awoke to a bright, sunny day after 2 days of muggy, overcast weather. We can't complain, though, as the weather has been great for the most part. Our flight for Auckland left on time at 12:30 pm. I had another cry on the way to the airport in the shuttle and at the airport whilst corresponding with some of the group. Vic thinks I'm nuts!! Don't anyone say it!!

I can't say enough about Qantas airlines. We had exit row seats with tons of legroom and we even got a bevvie with lunch and ice cream and chocolate for dessert. The flight was great. I watched a movie and guess what...it had me crying tears of JOY. I guess I'm just an emotional basket case at the moment. It was a great movie. Can you guess what the movie was?

We arrived around 5:40 pm ( NZ is 2 hours ahead of Sydney time and 16 hours ahead of Toronto time). The customs search is quite extensive as they are concerned about invasive species coming into NZ and destroying the flora and fauna. It was a pain in the ass standing in line for an hour but I understand the reasoning. Of course, Vic got pulled aside after they X-rayed his bag but it was a false alarm and I'm still stuck with him for the next 2 1/2 weeks. ;)

It's a bit cooler here in NZ. The temperature is around 17 degrees C now and is going down to around 9 degrees tonight. Quite a difference from Aus. Our tour begins tomorrow so we have tonight and all day tomorrow to explore the city of Auckland. Some of my pals who have been to NZ already assure me it's fantastic here. Can't wait to experience this new culture.

Auckland is one of the worlds most sprawling cities, and the largest city in New Zealand, yet you can easily walk across its narrowest point in less than 20 minutes. It covers 1,016 sq km (392 sq miles) which is considerably larger than London.  In proportion to its population (about 1.5 million) it is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas and  is home to 1/3 of New Zealand's population.  It's built on an isthmus located between 2 stunning harbours and is defined by the water that surrounds it.  Paris may be the city of love but the Maori (pronounced Mowry) call Auckland the city of many lovers (Tamaki Makaurau). It is surrounded by volcanic cones and farmland.

Auckland city (not to be confused with the Auckland Region) is basically an isthmus framed by 2 harbours.  One harbour, called Waitemata, meaning sparkling water, is at the foot of the main street and is the gateway to the island - a boating paradise of the Hauraki Gulf in the South Pacific Ocean.  The other harbour is called Manukau Harbour and is to the south feeding into the Tasman Sea. This "City of Sails" gets it's name from having the world's highest per capita ownership of recreational boats.  You see everything from gin palaces and deep-sea fishing vessels to aluminum "tinnies', battered rowboats and kayaks.

Auckland sits on top of a large volcanic field that has produced about 53 cones in the last 140,000 years, and from wherever you stand, a grassy volcanic slope is not far from view.  Three of the more prominent examples are Mount Eden, One Tree HIll and Rangitoto.  They are NOT all extinct and it's pretty intimidating knowing that this is a something that you cannot control.  I guess the locals don't think about it but it certainly is on my mind with the ever present cones in full view all the time.  
 
A popular nickname for an Aucklander is JAFA - 3 of the 4 initials stand for "Just another Aucklander".  No prizes for guessing what the 4th one stands for.  I thought Toronto had an abundance of Asian immigrants but Auckland certainly rivals it.  It is a vibrant Pacific-Asian metropolis.

We got settled in our room (a real hotel room) and went out for a light dinner. Tomorrow we will explore the city before we meet with our new CEO and group to start our NZ adventure.

Have you figured out that I actually have decent wifi now?!? Vic packed it in a while ago but I was determined to get all the blogs from Aus out before my new tour begins. I'm sitting here finishing a glass of wine while reminiscing about all the fun times, great new friends and fantastic scenery I experienced in Australia and, of course, thinking about all my family and old friends that I wish were here to experience this with me. Miss you guys tons!!!