We've Arrived

Hello All! Jesse and I are safely in New Zealand. Actually I am having a really hard time keeping track of the time difference and even the local time. The flight from LA was pretty uneventful. Jesse was really impressed with the service and I would have to agree with him. We were served both dinner and breakfast with each being very delicious and not at all resembling airline food. We were able to have a seat in between us and so the flight was fairly comfortable. We really did not sleep at all, so instead we watched movies and tv shows. We got to watch the new Wolverine movie, the new Star Trek movie and then I watched My Life in Ruins.
Once we landed the fun started right away. We went through and explained our business in the country and showed our visas and passports and then went to collect our bags. As we were waiting for the bags they came around with dogs that are trained to smell things such as fruit and vegetables, probably drugs and most likely BEEF JERKEY. That's right Mama Taylor. I almost peed my pants when the dog made a beline for my bag and started going crazy. This of course was after Jesse refused to cary it, because after all he hadn't packed it. The lady was really nice thought and just explained that since it wasn't commercially sealed she would have to confiscate it. Alright. The scent was so powerful though that the dog kept coming back. She would say, "no mate, we've already checked that bag". The dog was a beagle.
After collecting our bags we went through x-ray machines and since Jesse had been honest about having a knife in his bag we were screened as having to talk with a customs agent. We were taken behind a screen into a room where folks had all of their possesions laid out on the tables in front of them and were told to go down to the very end of the row. Fortunately the man was very nice and there had been a misunderstanding. When Jesse said that he had a flick knife they had assumed that it was a butterfly or switch blade knife. The gentleman asked what our business was and escorted us out of security. I then found a currency changing stand and was able to exchange 15 Canadian dollars for 17.90 New Zealand.
Once in the airport we were able to walk straight outside and find the bus that would take us to our hostel. The driver asked where we were staying and took us as close as he could. We arrived at our hotel on Tuesday morning at 7:30 AM. We were told that we could check in immediately for 50 New Zealand dollars. We agreed. Took a nap and then woke up around noon and walked to a supermarket (New World Market) and bought a few staples. Our hotel is in a lovely location. Very close to the skytower and downtown Auckland. Jetlag is really hanging on to us, though. After the grocery visit yesterday we came back to the room and slept from 3 in the afternoon until 6am on Wednesday morning. It is almost 8am here now and we are planning a full day with a museum visit. Oh, yesterday on the walk Jesse pointed out a Nissan Skyline car and said that we didn't need to get a picture or anything, but that it was illegal in the states.
The weather is cooler here than we expected. Excuse me for being an American, but I am having a hard time adjusting to the temperature being in Celcuis ( I probably can't even spell it!). When we got into our room yesterday it was very cold, as they don't heat spaces that aren't occupied. We have a heater in our room that we need to keep running so that we can stay warm. In order to have the lights, tv, heater, etc. on in our room, we must leave a room key in a box near the door. I had read about this and was prepared for it. It is kind of nice how they conserve energy. We are adjusting.
The people we have meet here are very nice and we feel comfortable here in Auckland.