We made it!

---

Just a quick blog to let everyone know that we made it here safely and are now New Zealand residents!

The flight from Heathrow was enlivened by the fact that our shuttle transfer was nearly an hour late from Manchester forcing us to run across half the airport and plead to be let onto the Air New Zealand flight. The experience was also greatly enhanced by the helpful security guy at heathrow who told us we had definitely missed our plane and should just give up and go and ask to booked on the next day's plane instead of attempting to get to the departure gate (we ignored him). Our commiserations go out to our fellow Auckland-bound passengers - it's can't be nice to sit next to someone for 22 hours who smells like they have just run across an airport!

Apart from intense boredom the journey from then on was fine. 10 hours to Los Angeles, 3 hours in transit, 12 hours to Auckland. We arrived early this morning (at 5am) and cleared immigration - they granted us our prized "Permit to reside permanently" stamps in our passports and even said "Welcome Home". All our bags came through fine (including the guitar!) and we cleared customs without a hitch. We then picked up the hire car, crawled through Auckland's rush hour on the motorway and once through, set off on our way up to Whangarei, stopping for very strong coffee and very sugary cake at a 'Honey Centre' on the way.

We are staying at a really highly rated BBH backpackers called Little Earth Lodge, just outside Whangarei. We've already spotted Kingfishers, Fantails, Pukeko and Mynah birds in the garden and bush visible from our room, as well as making friends with the resident minature horses and a dog called Muttley. It's raining intensely here but is warm and just as spectacular as we remembered.

---

Photos

Quick stop at Mangawhai Heads
(Emma driving the hire car)

Kingfisher
Kotare, a New Zealand Kingfisher in the garden at Little Earth Lodge (as seen from our room).

Comments

[Wales/Genius]

How exciting!!!
Glad you arrived safe...if a little smelly! Keep us updated, although the jealousy is building rapidly with each blog entry so don't milk it too much...Otherwise I'll be tempted to sell up and join you guys over there!! ;) XXX

[maria]

hooray¬
Glad you got there safely. keep us updated!! Saw Paddy today- told him I was visiting retired colleagues as a community type of chore- care in the community for old retired cops!!

[John G]

Nice one
Congrats on completing the first part of your adventure.... is the phrase "making friends with the resident minature horses and a dog called Muttley" a strange local metaphor? I think this entire trip is an elaborate hoax.and that you're really holed up in a Birkenhead council flat. To prove me wrong, I request that there is a photo in the next blog showing Emma drinking a bottle of cold local beer whilst winking and wearing a hat of some sort. Also, I request a photo of Tim playing air guitar with his left foot resting the front wheel of a parked car - preferably a green car.

[philip&rachael towers]

delighted you made it to nz eventually - i still can't believe they would let tim in with his ginger goattee. 'temo' is fine, though last week rachael took it to work and left the lights on, with predictable results! she got her own job though, and is now 'sister rachael' take care