Our family of six has finally made it to New Zealand--a dream come true! The 24-hour journey from Mapleton, Utah to Aukland was more complicated than we could have imagined. My dad kindly transported us, and our 20 pieces of luggage, to the Salt Lake airport and that was the end of smooth traveling. We soon embarked on what seemed to be endless delays, searches, scans, lines, awkard loads, and fatigue. We drew lots of stares and we've learned to cut our voice volume in half. Even with careful packing we managed to get our bags pulled and searched for obvious mistakes (Rick's contact lens solution and our waterbottles) and the not-so-obvious, my scriptures. In NZ customs, we had to unpack six suitcases and dig out all of the hiking boots for inspection to prove that we weren't bringing in contaminated soil. We definitely have too much stuff! But we made it here and we are definitely in the right place!
We were greeted in the Auckland airport with comparitive peace and simplicity, especially relative to the chaos of the Los Angelos airport. Walking under the tomokanga, a carved gateway blessed by the Maori king, we knew that we had finally made it to Rick's beloved country where he served a memorable LDS mission. The archway symbolizes a spiritual portal from one realm to another, from dark to light. And from the first "kia ora" (Maori "hello") at the airport, we have been greeted with continual friendliness and warmth from the NZ people. The shuttle driver helped us with our mass of luggage, put on his Santa hat and sang at full volume (and at full speed) through the crowded streets. Every shop clerk has been extraordinarily happy and friendly, and the hotel porter must have intuited our 24-hour journey, immediately offering us towels so that we could "freshen up." This was 6 hours before our official check-in time. Gratefully, the porter managed to get us into another suite early, one with a balcony and a remarkable view of the harbor and this "city of sails."