Arrival in NZ

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Hello! I have decided to keep a weekly travel journal on this trip so you can read what I have been up to. Hope you enjoy reading it (but feel free to ignore it completely if you can't be bothered!)

I have arrived in New Zealand after the longest flight in the world. It was well over 30 hours via Los Angeles and then via Hawaii after we left Los Angeles to deliver a passenger there who had a severe medical condition which needed attention halfway to New Zealand. Poor Jessie had waited five hours for me at the airport. I'm now in Auckland which was beautifully sunny today and I did the coast to coast walk with Jessie following such a badly signposted path that we were amazed to emerge at the end successfully. It was not due to my superior pathfinding skills in any way shape or form.

Yesterday was spent trying to keep awake until the evening to conquer jetlag and we walked by the waterfront. Saw a HUGE boat, the most amazing private yacht I ever come across with at least three other boats on board and hot tub, fantastic seating arrangement and bar on the back. Turns out it belongs to Russian oil magnate and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich.

I haven't spent any time in Auckland before and find it to be a fairly pleasant city with a very cosmopolitan atmosphere and loads of Japanese and Korean signposts and adverts so I feel right at home. We climbed to the top of Mount Eden and I was amazed to see that the sea appears to go right around the city through little coves and inlets. Auckland is also very green and there are even sheep grazing fairly near the city centre!

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