Auckland Airport makes St. Louis Airport look like LAX. It is awesome. Big, shiny, full of friendly and helpful people, and... smoothies!
Here is just one example of how awesome the airport is, and the first clue that we really are in New Zealand:

Maori carving in Auckland International Airport.

So now that we are exhausted from 14 hours of flight, we push around our baggage (which luckily, we had no problems with getting) trying to figure out what to do next. We had planned to take the Overlander train down to Wellington but they only run on weekends during the 'off season.' So we set towards the car rental kiosks, but on our way there we ran into a friendly Security guy who asked where we were going. He insisted on calling his friends over at Rent-a-Dent when he heard we were looking to rent a car. That was the first taste of kiwi kindness and certainly not the last we would encounter. Unfortunately all the car rental places, including Rent-a-Dent, were all booked thanks to the Rally going on.

So we got desperate. We went to the Freephone in the International Terminal, where tons of pamphlets for rentals, accommodation, and sundry other services lie in wait for the desperate traveler. Long story short, we got a car, and cheap too.

So now that we had wheels, our next task was to find a place to sleep for the night. We went to a Backpackers but the prices were higher than we had anticipated. We spent 1/4 tank of gas just trying to find our way around Auckland to find somewhere to rest our weary heads, to no avail.

Auckland. Nice place to visit, horrible to drive around in!

We stopped at a gas station, got a liter of cola, and drove south to Hamilton, where my Backpackers guide promised a variety of cheap accommodation.

We found J's Backpackers 10 minutes before closing, and finally, finally, went to sleep.

J's Backpackers in Hamilton

In front of the Backpacker's. I love New Zealand.

J's Backpackers was quite nice and the owner was friendly and helpful. But I think we left our towel there.

In any case, at sunrise we set out once again on the road. They drive on the left side, you know.

Hill with sheep.

I must mention here that when everyone says New Zealand is synonymous with sheep, I've always rolled my eyes, because I thought it was a South Island thing. But no, it's a New Zealand thing. We saw this beautiful scenery for hours.

Hill without sheep (I think they're on the other side).

Hill with sheep.

We pass rural areas and more sheep, and gorgeous green countryside. A large building with a metal sign and a creative shed read "Corrugated Creations." Little did we know they must have supplied all of central New Zealand with signs, because nearly every business had a corrugated metal sign (and they were creative).
We get hungry so we stop at a cute little town called Tirau.
These corrugated creations caught our eye and we ate at a delicious and cheap cafe right across the street from our new, giant metal companions.

Mom, I know you're gonna love this one!!

Wouldn't you know it, more sheep?

Sitting at the table next to us is this little feathered friend.

Ronnie's Cafe, I want to go back there! My sandwich was yummy, had beets, tomato, pineapple, and avacado, and was only $2.50 (that's less than $2 USD).
Back to the streets.

We see a sign that says "Huka Falls, 200m"... we figure that's close by so we stop. I'll be uploading the video on the next blog post. It was incredible.

It's winter here, can you tell?


Okay enough sightseeing. Next stop is Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in the area. Here we are approaching the town of Taupo.

The weather was perfect, the sky was bright and the air was crisp. The birds love the lake, and so do the trees.
Off in the distance is a mountain!


A budding tree, is it spring? I am so confused.

You knew that was going to happen.

I would be too.

Back on the road again...

Slow down around this turn...
Or we'll run into a snow-covered mountain.
IT'S AN ACTIVE VOLCANO!

Where are we, the alps?
Or the desert?
We are in the desert. This is where the NZ Army trains.
We start seeing green again. It is getting cloudy!
The sun is starting to set as we meander along the bay... into...
Upper Hutt, WELLINGTON!
And into the Lower Hutt, Wellington!

And we are there. Wellington, our new home.
Now we just need to find a home.
And jobs.
And food.
What will fate have in store for us?