Monday we hit the road early. The taxi picked us up at 6:45am, at which point the last few things were literally thrown into the suitcases. The driver detoured by a house where the entire front was a mural of Pamela Anderson’s face, created in a very realistic look with different colored tile-like bricks. At the airport we did the hurry-up-and-wait game. The check-in lady was not too friendly after looking at our 8 suitcases, 2 car seats, 1 fishing pole, plus carry-on bags. Fortunately we made it through several stops then boarded our plane for an uneventful flight to Auckland. From there we progressed through a very inquisitive customs check. One stop to verify our passports, a second stop where we played the twenty questions game, a third stop in a special area because the first guy forgot to mark one of the entry cards, a fourth stop for Ralphie the Dog to sniff all our bags for food, and a fifth stop to unload all the bags (again) onto a conveyor for a final x-ray. Whew, we made it through.
From there we loaded everything onto a minibus for a short drive to the rental car company where we unloaded and reloaded everything into our rental van. And how much luggage did I pack?!! Once we had wheels we started the next leg of our journey. We stopped for dinner and to pay for a toll, surprisingly at the same place. (A gas station with a toll kiosk and a Burger King.) We also made a short stop for a box of cereal and a carton of non-refrigerated milk so we could have breakfast in the morning. Good choice since by the time we made it to our hotel at 9:30pm the stores were long since closed. The boys were very patient all through the day and our hotel was a pleasant surprise of very comfortable beds. Fortunately due to time zone differences we didn’t feel as tired as the clock would reflect.
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