I am sitting in my room in the beautiful Ascot Parnell Bed and Breakfast in Auckland New Zealand. We finally arrived late yesterday afternoon and have already fallen in love with this beautiful and very clean city. The weather is beautiful, in the low 70s and although there is a strong breeze we are still very glad to see the sunshine.

The flight over here was very uneventful except for the length of it. We were very surprised to find that there was very little room in the economy section of the Qantas 747 that flew us from Los Angeles to Sydney. We had expected that there would be a little extra room as everyone has to sleep overnight on the plane during the 14 hour flight. Almost all the seats were taken and things were very crowded. We have decided that we would definitely try to fly business class next time on such a long flight because it was very difficult to sleep in such crowded conditions. But somehow we managed to get about 5 hours sleep.

The flights out of Los Angeles leave late in the evening. Ours took off at 11pm and they immediately serve dinner with complimentary wine. The food was very good for airline food and the flight attendants gave us a sample of the friendliness that we have found is common to people in Australia and New Zealand. After the first movie they shut off all the lights in the cabin area so that people could sleep. After a few hours they started another movie and then the movies continued all the time until we arrived in Sydney. We found that people generally started to wake up after about 5 hours although some lucky people were able to sleep for much longer. The best part of the flight was the frozen fruit bars they served when most people were awake. It was a very long wait for breakfast and coffee after we woke up and long lines at the restroom facilities.

It was very exciting to land in Sydney. Even the airport feels much different to the airports we are used to in America. When we took off for Auckland we were able to see the Sydney Bridge and Opera House and found that very amazing. After years of seeing pictures of the distinctive Sydney Opera House it was unbelievable to see it through the window of the airplane. It is still hard to believe that we are actually now embarked on this incredible vacation that we have dreamed of for so long.

When we arrived in Auckland we took a shuttle bus that delivered us right outside the door of the Ascot Parnell Bed and Breakfast. They have a web page at www.travelingnewzealand.com with a link to their full web page so check out the beauty of this wonderful old house.

We were very tired after our long flight and anxious to take a shower and have a nice dinner. Therese, the owner of Ascot Parnell, suggested a restaurant called The Alligator Pear within walking distance in the village of Parnell. We were very glad that we took her recommendation. The food was excellent and the atmosphere very relaxing. At some of the restaurants in New Zealand it is possible to take a bottle of wine with you and pay a corkage fee for the restaurant to serve it to you. We had stopped on our walk at a wine store and bought a couple of bottles and were able to use one of them in the restaurant for a $4 corkage fee. They chilled it for us and then served it. Apparently some restaurants also allow you to bring your own spirits as well and some just have a license that allows you to bring your own wine.

We have noticed already that the people here are much more friendly and outgoing than people are in the United States. Even when we walk down the street people smile and say hello. It is a wonderful warm and welcoming feeling. The owner of the Alligator Pear, Brian was no exception. He spent a great deal of time talking with us about current world events and how they impact New Zealand as well as lots of places that he recommended we visit. Kiwis are very proud of their country and enjoy sharing it with tourists.

Something else that we noticed immediately, even while we were still in the plane circling around Auckland before landing, was the amazing amount of greenery. Everywhere we have gone so far there has been lush vegetation with lots of flowers and blooming trees.