A Long Journey - Getting to New Zealand

               Yesterday night I set off on my next adventure abroad. This time I am heading across the Pacific to the island country of New Zealand. I will be staying in a city on the North Island called Hamilton which is an hour drive south from the capital city (so I am told). The reason I am heading out there is to do the second half of my student teaching before graduation. I am very excited to learn more about New Zealand’s school district as well as the people and culture.

                Leaving was the hardest part of my trip so far. Even harder than the 14 hour plane ride from LAX to Sydney! Unlike the other times I have traveled, this time I unfortunately had to leave my amazing husband behind so he could hold down the fort back home. I cannot believe how amazing he is to be so supportive of me leaving for 7 weeks. However, I can promise this will be the last time I willingly part with him for this long again! It is much more fun to travel with him than without!

                Getting to New Zealand took me 3 plane rides and about 23 hours. First, I took a pretty uneventful ride from Salt Lake to Los Angeles. Pulling into the airport there was really cool. This city lights are so gorgeous from above. Plus, there were buildings super close to the airport so when he landed I felt like we were getting way close to those rooftops! I only had about an hour layover in LA which gave just enough time to switch terminals, go to the bathroom and then wait for about 10 minutes before boarding. My second flight went from LA to Sydney, Australia. The plane was surprisingly spacious, but then again I’m pretty tiny so what do I know! However, I have to say I had forgotten how much they feed you on these long trips! There was a dinner service, a mid-flight snack service, and a breakfast service. Plus they were constantly bringing drinks around. I was pretty happy with it though since I will be travelling for so long.

                I was able to sleep for a lot of my second flight. However, near to 2 hour mark we started flying into a storm and there was some pretty heavy turbulence. I have to admit it did freak me out a little bit! I’m talking some really bone-jarring shaking for a bit there. That passed though, and most of the flight was decently smooth from then on. I couldn't see anything out my window most of the time since it was a red-eye flight so instead I kicked back, watched a movie, and then slept. I got up about 45 minutes before landing to watch to sun rising across the ocean. It really is cool to look down from so high above and watch the clouds and the water go by underneath you.

                After we landed I had about 2 hours before my next flight which would take to the Auckland, New Zealand airport. Sadly not enough time to see anything except what I can see through the windows, but hopefully I will be able to come back someday.

                My third flight was from Sydney to Auckland and was about 2 hours long. There was not a lot to do so I just pulled out my laptop and worked on putting together a slideshow to introduce myself to my students on Wednesday. Shockingly, they actually did not offer any food or snacks during the flight. The only thing that was complimentary was water, coffee, or tea. I have to say, I was not very impressed with Virgin Airlines.

                This was the hardest flight for me because I was hungry, tired, and sick of travelling. However, I have to say that when I got my first glimpse of the New Zealand coast line I was filled to the top with excitement and wonder.

                As we flew inland, I saw miles and miles of rolling green hills dotted with farmhouses. It slowly started to become more crowded until we reached the capital city of Auckland. There were definitely many more buildings there, but none of them were very tall. They still seemed to fit in with their natural green surroundings, and bright green bushes and trees dotted every block and yard.

                The plane landed and I was finally here, but my journey was not quite over. I had made it to New Zealand, but now I had to meet up with Denise, the woman I would be living with for the next 7 weeks. I found her waiting for me on the other side of customs. She is a short (like me!) blond woman with a charming smile and a fun personality (as I would soon find out). She greeted me with a hug and introduced me to her friend who had graciously offered me to drive Denise to Auckland to pick me up and bring me to Hamilton. The drive back was long, but fun as Denise chatted to me about my upcoming student teaching, and the house and town I would be living in. I have to say that although we were both speaking English, sometimes we both really had to listen to figure out what we were saying haha.            

                Overall it was a long and grueling trip, but here I am 26 hours later, finally in New Zealand and ready to explore! Let’s see what adventure awaits!!