New Zealand 2009 - Taies of the Camera Sherpa - Part 2

We got on our flight on Air New Zealand without a hitch. Thank you air travel gods even if you are magical ponies. With my myriads of frequent flier miles, I've scored us business class tickets. And on this airline and this flight that means we get the full reclining bed type of seats. Sweet.

Wife enjoying the life she would like to become accustomed to. The back of the seat comes down and creates a flat surface for sleeping. You will also notice the separate foot rest by her feet for when you are just sitting.

The flight is totally uneventful. There are a lot of things that make this a less disruptive flight than our trips to Europe. First, even thought the flight is around 13 hours we only go over 5 time zones. Second, we leave at 10:30 PM LA time and we arrive at 6:30 AM Auckland time. This leaves us plenty of time for a normal sleep cycle that third is much easier with the full reclining seats. I can't quite get a full sleep on them because of their hardness but it is better than anything else I've flown on.

When we get to Auckland, getting off the plane and through immigration and customs is a breeze.

Wife and I having successfully arrived in Auckland and on our way to get our rental car.

Next however, comes the trial by GPS system. We've intended to rent a GPS from our rental car company. It is a portable device not like the ones from the same rental company in the US. We work for 30 minutes trying to get it to function without success. The main problem comes from fact that the touch screen interface seems to have glitches and certain commands just can't be done. I bring it back and we try another one only to have the same issues. After an hour of trying, I just give up, return it and get a map. Wife and I are good with maps and get to our destination.

The Gulf Harbour B & B

The view from our room

B & B garden

After arriving and getting settled into the B & B we walk down to Gulf Harbor for lunch, a little Indian place. Then we head over to a nearby bay so Wife can start taking pictures in earnest. We catch some nice scenes around the bay and see the first of what I think will be lots of great looking flora. New Zealand has a unique plant environment as a result of its millions of years of isolation.

Samples of Trees

Scenes across the bay - an extinct volcano - I hope it is extinct!