Week 1 - Day 1 - New Zealand

The adventure has begun.

Peter arrived at our house at 11:30 we left just after 12 for the airport. Our flight was on time and we arrived in San Francisco at about 6:45. We quickly found our way to the International departure gate. Air New Zealand was wonderful. Even though it was a 14 hour flight it felt much shorter as it was a night flight and most passengers slept.

I was worried about customs as I had brought gluten free foods. The customs or bio-security was not concerned with the food, they were more concerned with the tent Alan brought. It had to be sent off to be tested for infectious hazards. Other than this small obstacle, we quickly had our rental car, a Ford Focus, and were on our way.

Downtown Raglan

Our first week will be in the west coast town of Raglan. This is a surfing and sand restort on the Tasman Sea.

We used the GPS, thanks to Ian, successfully found the holiday home. It is a lovely three bedroom house overlooking the Tasman Sea.

Getting there, Alan had no trouble adapting to the high rates of speed on the tiny, very windy roads.

The back seat passenger (me) found it a bit daunting. The hills or small mountains are quite beautiful and we took the scenic route to this lovely town.

We explored the town and picked up supplies at the local grocery store.

There are many interesting vegetables. We purchased New Zealand Yams to have roasted with onions and parsnips to go along with our steak.