We arrived early (just before 6) Wednesday morning in Auckland after 25 straight hours of travel (17 hours of which were in the air). Customs was actually quite easy. I was worried about our M&Ms and Vanilla Wafers being taken away, but we got to keep them all! We were very tired, but did not want jet lag to get the better of us, so we took a nap from 7am to 9am then we woke up, got cleaned up, and set out for the day. Out first mission was to find internet to let everyone know that we made it ok. That was quite the feat. Internet here is a lot like in Europe where you either have to pay or buy something to use it. Also it is limited by data used so some places have a limit on how much you can use once you buy a coffee. Wednesday we walked around downtown Auckland, tried to get our bearings, opened a bank account, went grocery shopping and tried very hard to stay away. We made it to 8:30 then we had to crash.
Thursday morning Will woke up about 6, Tally around 7:30 and we were keen to get started on our day. We first went to McDonalds for some internet, then had a whirlwind of apartment shopping. We looked at 10 or so apartments in 5 hours. We ended up choosing one right downtown and signed a 6 month lease for the rent of a year-long lease (with a little finessing of the landlord). We figured that way if we hate living in the city center, we can vacate to the burbs in 6 short months. That night Will's new co-worker and her husband took us out for dinner and drinks. We learned a couple of inside tips about living in NZ. Also, her husband is a dead ringer for Jason Segel (Marshal from How I Met Your Mother). It was the elephant in the room until he said something about it. He has has numerous people (giddy girls) buy his meals, send him drinks and notes. I'll add a picture later if I can :)
Friday we had lots of errands to run. We went phone shopping, signed the lease and paid our upfront costs in cash money. We did a lot of uphill walking. Auckland is laid out a lot like San Francisco with lots of small winding streets up and down very steep hills. I should have killer legs when I come home :). Friday night we decided to stay in and recuperate. We have made the local Gloria Jean's coffee shop our new home. We go every day, buy a coffee or pastry and sit for an hour or so doing things we need to on the internet. We have made friends with the barista, Robin!
I guess I better stop now, or this blog will be 20 pages! I'll post a separate blog about our weekend adventures.
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