First Few Days

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I have landed!

After a five hour flight to LA then a three-hour layover followed by a twelve and a half our flight to NZ. I’ve finally made it. We left home around 4:30pm got to LAX at 9:30 GA time then left again at 1:00 GA time. Then after a twelve hour plan ride (thankfully I got about 6 or 7 hours of sleep) we arrived at 8:30am NZ time which is  about 2:30pm GA time.

Our flights went really well. We took Air New Zealand from LA to NZ and it was the longest, but best flight ever. The flight attendants walked up and down the aisles all night offering us water, they fed us dinner and breakfast. It was by FAR the best airline food I had Ever had! So good and they had tons of tv shows, movies and music, and games to watch and listen to in your own personal screen. So cool! Thankfully I got some sleep and was able to function.

After we landed we headed to another breakfast in a café close to the airport. We went from there to a place called One tree Hill. It was a summit you could see for miles! Then we ventured down to one of the harbors and saw all kinds of cool boats and downtown Auckland. Then we headed to Pukekohe and went to a school I’ll be going to next week. We had a traditional Maori welcome, which consists of traditional songs and greeting. (It was really awkward but cool at the same time)

After that we drove around the neighboring cities and saw what is NZ, then I got to meet my sweet host family. They have two precious girls and I have loved staying with them.

We had the best most delicious dinner lamb and vegetables! And got to drive around and see the different cites in Pukekohe and the surrounding cities, and got to see another lookout point where I could see Auckland. (Pukekohe and Auckland are a little more than an hour away).

I managed to stay up till about 10:00pm, which is about 4am home time and slept really well.

Things I like so far:

I have loved the homes here they remind me of the houses in Costa Rican and Mexico because they are open and airy and have lots of windows! Love it!

The kids all walk to school, which is really cool.

The weather here is fantastic! (currently in a tank top and shorts, beats the snowy weather I left at home)

Also still blows my mind that March 7^th for me didn’t exist because we are over the International Date Line.

I have to make sure I get on the left side of the car. Still getting use to riding on the other side of the road.

Today, Saturday we slept late I ate hot crossed bun for breakfast then we went to a black sand beach. It was beautiful! We got to drive around the beautiful country and stopped at a waterfall and I got to eat ice cream. I also had NZ hotdog and fish and chips for lunch. I have loved being with my host family they are super sweet!