My dream trip to New Zealand was finally here! I never though February would come, nor did I ever think that I would make it to New Zealand. I was so excited, nervous, and hyped, ands as a result was on edge. This was my dream trip, what if it goes wrong? What if we are delayed? What if something gets canceled? What happens if we can’t get to everywhere we want to go? Things all outside my control, but I couldn’t help but be tense. I didn’t want anything to go wrong. Wrong mentality to have, but who can blame me?! Dream trip!
February is nearing the end of NZ’s summer but it is second winter here in Chicago. We were going to fly to Houston and then to Auckland thanks to United and Air New Zealand. However we only had a 45-minute layover. Chicago O’Hare is notorious for delays during the winter months. Also, it happened to be Super Bowl weekend and the Super Bowl was in… Houston. OY. Our flight had a standby list longer than seats on the plane, and given what had happened on a United flight when it was crowded, I was SO nervous. We called Air new Zealand and United multiple times to see what would happen if our flight is delayed. We had plans to go to Hobbiton the second day in NZ, WE COULD NOT TAKE THE NEXT FLIGHT!
I know, I know, no one should plan a tour the day after your arrive, but it was the only day that still had spots left while we were in. I had to do it! Any who, Air New Zealand and United gave us both the run around on what would happen. We even contemplated renting a car to drive to Houston. Yeah, that desperate. Houston Airport said they would give us a golf cart to transport us to the other terminal. So, we agreed and decided to fly and hope that we will get there on time. We landed early 😀 all that worry for nothing. We ended up being able to walk to our terminal only to find out or flight was delayed an hour! All that worry for nothing, whoops.
After a 15 hour flight, we finally landed in Auckland! I could not believe it! The flight was long and tiring, but I was used to it as that is how long it took to get to Hong Kong. It was around 8 in the morning, so we took our time getting our our luggage and freshening up. I also got a sim card, as I knew we would need it for Google Maps when we drove during in the South Island. Auckland Airport is about 30 minutes or so to downtown Auckland and a shuttle costs around $35NZD. A bit steep, but I was not ready to figure out public transportation.
Luckily, our hotel was very nice and let us check in suuuuper early. Clearly, we were exhausted so we took a nap, before heading out for some breakfast at a nearby cafe! We were definitely in need of some grub, and this little whole in the wall had this amazing corn/hash/fritter thing that hit the spot. Yum! After, we decided to just walk around Auckland for the day, walking down to the pier, did a bit of shopping, etc. We walked past a crab and wing place which was airing the Super Bowl, so we had to go in. My girl Lady Gaga was performing, so I didn’t mind! We enjoyed some nice hot wings, before hitting the road to walk around more.
We ended up having a lazy night because the next day was HOBBITON!!! Stay tuned for more adventures in New Zealand!
