After over 20 hours of travel our plane landed in Auckland around 9:30am Sunday, Feb 24. Mom, Ruth and MyLisa slept on the plane but I didn’t. We flew from PHL to LAX then LAX to Auckland. MyLisa took the train up fro DC and Ruth flew to PHL from Burlington, VT. It was fun being together. In LAX we searched for Carolyn and Steve wondering if they were on the same flight. They are friend of George and Carol,

Our pass through customs was confusing, then we got our bags and eventually found the Viking people who were taking us to the ship. We took the scenic route and drove through Cornwall Park in One Tree Hill, one of the 42 neighborhoods in Auckland. There are about 4.2 million people living in New Zealand and 2.4 live in Auckland. We saw Sky Tower, which looks like the Seattle space needle, lots of new construction in the city.

To get onboard the ship we showed our passport and room card to at least 5 people. They are serious about not letting just anyone on the ship. We checked but couldn’t together into our room yet, but lunch was available, so we sat outside an enjoyed a lovely meal sitting in the sun. I learned late that I got some color from that short period outside.

MyLisa and I were going to walk around Auckland, but the lack of sleep impacted both of us, so we took a short nap. Then our luggage arrived, next thing we knew is it was dinner time. We met up with George, Carol, Steve, Carolyn, and Ruth and mom for dinner. Viking did not disappoint,the meal was delicious. Afterwards, we saw a Sharon, John, Nancy, and layer Vic, Pat and Pat’s sister, there was show featuring the Maori journey. There were dancers explaining traditions. It was good.

Tomorrow we tout Auckland and our ship leaves at 6pm