Tag 1 - Hello New Zealand...

The first thought when we got off the plane early in the morning around 4:30 after a total of about 21 hours of flying was: Finally here!

The relief of having arrived and being able to stretch our legs was mitigated by the fact that picking up the rental car turned out to be quite a challenge. Only after a small odyssey (a wrong direction, three conversations with locals, a phone call, two shuttle rides, and an almost return to the airport) did we have the car and we could face the next challenge: driving on the left side!

After getting used to it, making some minor mistakes, and getting lost a few times, we could finally start our drive north. It was followed by vast landscapes that range from gray roads to green fields to golden beaches.

At the end of the day, we reached the planned destination for this day, Pahia, and were rewarded with a great view of the Bay of Islands.