The Destination

Air New Zealand - Click for larger

That's the fun part. I love planning trips and actually being at the destination experiencing the new place. Getting there and back is not as much fun. I was a little concerned when we were waiting in the Auckland, NZ departure lounge. Sports teams. 10-year old boys… frightful! I think I would rather fly in turbulence than a group of 30 or so ten-year old boys. They were excited to be going to Vancouver for a hockey tournament. Yes New Zealanders play hockey. Who knew? The boys didn’t sleep a wink. They were great kids, just so many of them were running around all night. Some of them however did not move that much except to grab another vomit bag. One poor kid across from me had a stack of 10 or more bags. He used them all and still was covered in it. Sigh. Needless to say it was a long flight. Makes me think that my mother is a saint. She had four boys in one house (five if you count Dad who was the biggest kid of all). I’m not sure how she put up with it for all those years. I had trouble with 12 hours.

On a positive note, we had a wonderful tour of a glowworm cave in Waitomo.

Footwhistle Cave, Waitomo, New Zealand - Click for larger

This was our last real day before we headed back to Auckland to return home. We booked the 9 am, one hour tour hoping it would not be too busy. It turned out to be just Lori and me. Our Maori guide was great. He did not rush us at all. I could shoot as many photos as I wanted whenever I wanted. Once we got to the end of the cave, we sat in an area called the cathedral and talked. We talked about life, history and about our cultures. This was truly one of the best experiences we had on the island. A real Kiwi experience.

Glowworms in a Waitomo Cave, New Zealand - Click for larger

After 2 hours, we headed back and started driving toward Auckland.

Auckland, New Zealand - Click for larger

We are home now. Still a bit jet lagged but grateful for our own bed and a pillow that doesn’t collapse into nothing when you lay your head on it. We are not in a hurry to go anywhere for a while. Although, Ireland might be fun in June!