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I'm Here!

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I'm having trouble getting connected to Hotmail, so I thought I'd start by posting an update here. A few thoughts from the last 24ish hours:



  • I flew ORD (Chicago) to SFO (San Fran) and thought I should have been in NZ already!


  • The flight to NZ was fine - long, but I slept for a solid 5 hours in the middle and dozed a bit near the end of the flight.


  • I watched Love & Other Drugs on the flight. Jake Gyllenhaal is HOT.


  • There is no a/c in the baggage claim or customs area. DANA & RYAN: dress in layers for the plane and take one off before you go get your bags! And pack your deodorant somewhere handy ... unlike me :)


  • We landed about a half hour early, so I had cleared customs by 6:10 and couldn't get a shuttle to the car rental place until 7, so I wandered around until I found a working ATM (3rd one I found finally worked) and also got a coffee - "flat white" at the recommendation of someone who's been to NZ before. Delicious!


  • I got picked up promptly by the car rental place. I'm still amazed they just let me drive out of their lot - seems like you should have to make a practice loop somewhere to prove you know your right from left!


  • Got to experience Auckland rush hour, but it was actually okay since I crawled a bit through the streets and made sure not to miss any turns! I already hate roundabouts. I was very happy to find the B&B and park the car! (which has 242,000km on it, btw)


  • Meg and Steph - thanks for the mask and pillow ... I put both to good use on the flight!


  • Ryan, pack your skinny jeans - they are very much in style around here!


  • I have a "king single" room at the B&B ... I'm not sure what their "cozy single" looks like given I can't even open the door all the way without hitting the bed! But it's quaint and has a private bathroom and everything I should need for the week.


  • I now have a visitors account at the Auckland library and 30 minutes free access to this PC. (Turns out the PC at the B&B is NZ$12.95/day to use).


  • There is no a/c in here either ... D&R, pack some more t-shirts in addition to the long underwear :)


  • I probably should have known this before I got here, but Auckland is *hilly*!


  • I am off to check out the museum and the Auckland Domain (park), just around the corner from the Parnell library (below).



Next update: http://kellytmiller.blogspot.com/2011/03/day-1.html

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