Hello New Zealand (again)!

Having fun at the Antarctic Center in Christchurch!

We’re baaaack!  :)  Our first few days here in New Zealand have been very different than when we were here on the cruise ship in October.  We did not need a visa to get into the country either time, but this time we did need to show that we had a ticket leaving the country before they would let us enter.  We knew this ahead of time and were able to book a flight to Thailand leaving Auckland on January 17^th.  That gives us over five weeks in New Zealand, which should give us plenty of time to see all that we want to see!

We flew into the big city of Christchurch on the south island of New Zealand at about 3pm.  Going through customs was no problem – we declared everything, just as they suggested.  We had nuts and seeds from Australia (bought at the grocery store as a snack), as well as fresh veggies (carrots to snack on), and declared them all.  We ended up eating the mixed nuts as well as the carrots on the plane ride over, and I ended up un-declaring them by the time we disembarked.  The cute little beagle in the airport that sniffs out offenders could somehow still smell the carrot that used to be in my bag, even though I told him that HAD a carrot, but ate it.  His official-looking master seem satisfied, gave him a treat, and they went on to locate other offenders.  Our tent was another story – they took it away, unpacked it, treated it with something, and packed it back up for us.  They even thanked us for keeping it clean (I actually thought it was quite dirty, but that must mean they get some REALLY dirty ones!).  Everything went through the x-ray machine after that, and then we were ready to get the rental car.  We picked up our cheap (but hopefully trusty) little 1998 Nissan Sunny rental (both NZ and Australia have car models I’ve never heard of before, probably because they’re for driving on the left side) and then we were on our way!

Daron at Lake Tekapo

We’ve been in New Zealand three days so far and one thing Daron and I have both noticed is how friendly and genuine the people are.  They have been so incredibly nice to us.  The other thing we’ve noticed is how much cooler it is here than Australia.  We were told that it had been nice up until the day we arrived, which is when a cold front moved in.  Hopefully it will move on soon!  Our sleeping bags are very light (it was all we needed in Australia) and I’m afraid we’re going to freeze here.  We picked up a cheap blanket, just in case, as well as some inexpensive cooking items to use in the camp kitchens as we’re traveling about the country.

We are getting a better exchange rate here, which is nice.  The prices of things seem about the same as Australia, but this time we’re getting $1.30 NZD for each $1.00 USD.  Every little bit helps! 

Our plan is to spend two to three weeks exploring the south island, and then take the ferry across to the north island where we’ll finish up our time and be ready to fly out of Auckland on January 17^th.  Can’t wait to go explore!