And so the journey begins...

Wednesday morning we packed up what was left of our worldly belongings and hopped on a plane bound for Wellington. Well really it was a plane bound for Chicago, then a plane bound for LA, then Auckland, and finally, Wellington. But Wellington was always the end goal.

Flying internationally wasn't as bad as I had imagined it to be, but some parts of the journey were quite a bit bumpier than others. First of all, let me say that PIT and AKL are amazing, wonderful airports. They both have wide walkways and seating areas, friendly staff, and clean, modern restrooms. Even the security staff is kind, one of them called me “love”! (Bet you can't guess which airport that occurred in.)

O'Hare wasn't too bad either, though the walkways were crowded as were the terminals. The bathrooms had a weird feature where you would wave your hand across the toilet and it would provide you with a new plastic seat cover. United, as an airline, was absolutely dreadful. The first leg of the journey was only an hour and a half long, so no food nor drink was offered, no big deal. The second flight from O'Hare to LAX was significantly longer, four hours, and though complimentary drinks were served, only passengers who paid for extra privileges were offered complimentary food. If you wanted anything, be it a sandwich or a simple bag of chips, you had to purchase it off the snack cart. By the time we arrived at LAX at 6:30 pm PST we were absolutely starving and exhausted. We were excited to be back on the ground to have some time to relax and find food, only LAX had other plans for us.

For those of you who have never flown into or out of LAX, it is the most ridiculous airport on the planet. Unless you are catching a connecting flight on the same airline, you must exit your terminal, exit the building altogether, then stand outside waiting for a tram to take you to your proper terminal. Finding signs that explain this or where to go is also pretty darn difficult. Since we were flying New Zealand Air we then had to go to the check-in station, get new tickets printed out and prove to the lady at the counter that we had paid for our third checked bag when we originally checked in at Pittsburgh International. She then refused to give us our receipt back saying she needed to keep it as proof that we paid. There goes that tax write off. Once we were done there it was time to head up to our terminal, and back through the TSA. Now anytime I fly I am sure to take an empty metal water bottle that I fill up as soon as I get past the security check-point and I always keep my belt and jewelry in my purse until I am through as well. I had already dealt with security over eleven hours prior at PIT so my water bottle was full and my jewelry was on, I was completely unprepared. The TSA at LAX told me that I would have to drink my water or chuck the bottle into the trash. Because as everyone knows, drinkable water is a high-security threat. So with the water drunk and all my jewelry quickly stuffed into a bag, we went through the checkpoint. Everything seemed to be fine, until a TSA agent came over with my purse. She rifled through it until she found the culprit, a complimentary can of cranberry juice that I had acquired on the previous flight and thought might be nice to have later in my journey. So for those of you keeping track, in addition to water, juice acquired on your previous flight is also deadly. Thank god for the TSA, protectors of Freedom. Finally, juiceless, waterless, and eager to eat, we were in the terminal for New Zealand Air.

First order of business was to find some food, sadly the only options were pizza, Starbucks, an expensive sit down restaurant, and Burger King. After flying all day we really wanted some fresh fruit or a light sandwich. All LAX had to offer was heavy, greasy food. We finally settled on a bag of fries and found our gate. Then a disembodied voice came over the loud speakers and told us to move from gate 23 to gate 21. A bit of shuffling and then we were settled, only, where was my hat?! My favorite hat! The best hat I have ever had because it covers my ears perfectly even when my hair is up in a ponytail. Somehow it got lost in the shuffle of LAX. Later it was discovered my scarf went missing along the way too, the only scarf I had to my name. There was much sadness and anger. And then, it was time to go... only we were told that we were in the wrong gate! The disembodied voice said those flying to Auckland on New Zealand Air flight 1 were to move to gate 21, we were flying to Auckland on New Zealand Air flight 5. More shuffling about, more sadness, but eventually, we were safely tucked away on a Boeing 777.

Claude, a well-travelled man in the employ of Pittsburgh Filmmakers warned us that we would be treated like cattle during the domestic leg of our journey, but like kings the moment we stepped on an international flight. He couldn't have been more right. Flying New Zealand Air was absolutely lovely! The seats were each equipped with their personal screen, allowing passengers to chose their own media for the flight. The food was delicious, though I was a bit too nervous to eat it all, and everyone was in incredibly good spirits. Sleep came fairly easy at the appropriate time, though I did wake up in the wee hours of the morning, right at the end of Stardust, with the awful notion that the plane was going to crash into the ocean. This thought is actually significantly less ridiculous once you know I woke up in the hotel last night at about the same time worrying about where the emergency exit was in case of an earthquake. Of course, the plane did not fall into the ocean and everyone on board made it safely to Auckland Airport. We were even treated to a beautiful view of New Zealand farmland right before we touched down. Nice scenery and not dying, what more could a gal ask for?

Much like LAX this Airport sometimes requires you to go outside to catch another flight. However, unlike LAX, this airport doesn't suck. The difference between the buildings are international and domestic flights. Upon exiting your gate, you must go through Customs and present your visa along with a declarations card, then you must collect your luggage and go through Biosecurity. Though this seems daunting, it is a fairly easy and straightforward process. We were carrying a large amount of scary looking things, that were in reality robot parts, but no one even bothered to question us. Really the worst part of the ordeal is waiting in a line, which really isn't so bad when you have been sitting for thirteen hours. After Biosecurity you recheck your luggage and head over to the domestic flight terminal. There is the option to take a tram or you can just walk.

The day was perfect. A bit rainy, a bit breezy, a bit humid; felt an awful lot like home and smelled exactly like the air at Phipps Conservatory. We opted for the walking. Since we had gone outside, we were again required to go back through security, however, security in Auckland is much more lax than in the United States. No shoes to take off, no baggies of liquid. They simply ask you to take laptops out of your baggage before putting it through the X-Ray machine. Every security staff member seemed genuinely friendly and there was hardly a line to speak of.

Within no time we were off to Wellington on yet another Air New Zealand flight. This one was exactly an hour and yet we were served complimentary drinks, a bag of crisps, and were offered a hard sweet. United, take notes.

As soon as we got off our point of contact, Richard, met us. We had hoped he would be holding a sign with Seth's name, but alas, he was not. Richard got us set up with a rental car (a silver Toyota Corolla, if you can believe that) and drove us to the hotel. Seth's work spared no expense, they put us up at the Museum Art Hotel in one of the apartment rooms. We have a kitchenette complete with three different ways to make coffee and a bizarre shower in which you can watch yourself in the mirror as you bathe. It's pretty freaky. The only downside is the distinct lack of internet, in order to get online free of charge you must use the WiFi in the lobby. Therefore, please forgive me if I am not updating often.

Once we got showered and settled, we wandered out for lunch. Though the air had seemed warm at the airport, we had to run back up to the room to grab sweaters; Wellington certainly does live up to it's Windy nickname!

The way people dress here is quite interesting. It's not unusual to see pedestrians wearing shorts alongside those in a winter coat. I wouldn't say it's that cold, but a light sweater and beanie are helpful to have about.

So far the hardest part about living here is remembering to walk on the left side of the street. Also, since I am a naturally self-conscious person, I keep thinking that I am doing things incorrectly. We visited the library and I ventured to ask a librarian if they offered any classes or clubs and when she said “no, only for children” I felt the need to apologize for asking at all. Also, interesting point about the library here, for the most part it is very much like any library in the states, but if you want to check out popular books or new releases there is a $5 fee!

There was also a visit to the grocery store, but I won't bother you with the boring details. I will say that New Zealand has the best Colby cheese of all time! Of all time! I think it has something to do with the fact that it is normal cheese colour instead of orange.

I think that's all for now, we did lots more exploring today so you can expect a much more interesting post in the very near future.