Hello Auckland!
We touch down on the other side of the planet
It's a very strange feeling to actually set foot on the other side of the planet. After an exhausting flight, it's even somewhat overwhelming. We have never been away from home this far in our lives, a record that's going to be very hard to beat.
Auckland airport couldn't be more different from the abusive chaos of Los Angeles airport. Strict but polite officials, that have jackets saying "airport help" instead of machine guns. There's free coffee and tea for weary travellers, we're exhausted but happy.
Unfortunately our rental car is slightly less than perfect. We should have known of course, as it was the cheapest car we could find on the internet... You guessed it, it's a wreck. After a flight this long, our judgement is a bit off, otherwise we would never have rented this piece of junk. Bits and pieces are falling off even before we drive off with it... a taste of things to come, unfortunately.
A word of advice: if you ever go to New Zealand and want to rent a car, stay away from Downtown Rentals!
