Thrivent Builds Team Whangarei New Zealand Blog #1


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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Whangarei
October 19th 2008
Published: October 19th 2008
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We have Arrived!! Thanks for checking on on us and welcome to our blog!

who we are and what we are doing.

Itinerary
October 17, Friday - Depart from home
October 19, Sunday - Arrive in New Zealand and get settled in (that was a quick weekend)
October 20 - 25, Monday-Saturday - Build
October 26, Personal Day Activities (more on that later)
October 27 - 28, Monday-Tuesday - Build
October 29 - November 4 - R&R
November 4, Tuesday - Depart for home

We are 18 hours ahead of the CST zone. We crossed the International Date Line right before landing.

Team Members:
Becky A, Americus, GA
Terry B, Green Bay, WI
Debi B, DePere, WI
Sue H, River Fals, WI
Kathy K, Appleton, WI
Dave K, Maple Grove, MN
Kari K, St Louis, MO
Kris K, Brooklyn Park, MN
Erica L, Oshkosh, WI
Paul L, Vadnais Heights, MN
Bill R, North Oaks, MN
Joan R, North Oaks, MN
Rachal S, Neenah, WI
Jeff S, Roberts, IL
Beth V, Little Chute, WI
Roger V, Little Chute, WI

Team Leaders:
The team will be co-led by Thrivent Financial employees Kathy and Paul.

For most of the team it was a 36 hour adventure from the time we left our homes to touching down in Auckland, New Zealand.
The first obsevation was getting used to the drivers being on the wrong side of the road. Thank goodness we had a resident do the driving for us to our base of operations which will be at Top 10 Holiday Park which is a campground with cottages to stay in. It sure was uneasy sitting in the vehicle and the driver pulling up to the wrong side of the intersections. Well, at least strange for us, not the New Zealanders. Another observation was the scenery from Auckland to our build site in Whangarei. There were rolling hills covered with sheep or cows, or wooded with pines like Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota and a short distance away palm trees like being in the tropics. We were able to meet up with our Habitat build coordinators and they gave us a short orientation at our new home for the next two weeks. Some of us decided to shower right away and catch up on sleep, and others hiked a nearby mountain. This evening the Habitat affiliate hosted a barbecue for us.with them in the evening.

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19th October 2008

Sunday-Amazing Race
Kari and all, glad to hear you made it safely. Wanted to tell you I will be watching Amazing Race very closely and with extra interest tonight since they will be in New Zealand! Hope you have a good week and thanks for the blog.
20th October 2008

You've Arrived
Amen! You've arrived safely! No matter how tired you are right now, just remember -- you may never know how much you impact another's life until you are in Heaven. God's blessings on a great TBW trip! I'm looking forward to seeing some awesome photos!
21st October 2008

Hello to All
I did watch Amazing Race! It looks beautiful in NZ. There are lots of sheep! I, too, am looking forward to the photos. It sounds like things are already going well. You all take care. A special hug to Kari. The blog is appreciated!
22nd October 2008

Have Fun!
Just want to say HI! to Kari from St. Louis, MO. Thanks for the blog.

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