Day 1 in NZ MP

We landed in Auckland around 5:20 AM on July 15th. Auckland is 16 hours ahead of EST. Clearing customs was fast since we were the first flight to land for the day. Our flight number was NZ1. 

We had a short wait for our rental car company to pick us up. We rented a minivan for three days. Getting into the van, out of habit, I opened the left side door which is the passenger side in NZ. I also continuously turn on the window wipers instead of indicating a turn. Otherwise, driving on the left side of the road isn't too difficult.

We arrived to 15a Achilles Crescent in Narrow Neck Auckland around 7:30 AM. Jonah and Siena were very excited to setup their rooms as Lynn and I unpacked our things. Jonah has embraced living on the lower floor, basically in his own apartment with a washroom right beside his bedroom. It didnt take too long to unpack 7 suitcases. This is the view from your porch.

We decided to go for a walk in our neighborhood. We met our neighbors, Quin and Robin an elderly couple that live in a small "cottage" at 15 Achilles. Then we continued onto Narrow Neck Beach and into Devonport.

This island is Rangitoto, the remnants of an underwater volcano that erupted over 700 years ago. 

We walked down to Devonport which is a small town across the harbour from Auckland. Our goal was to get some lunch and use the free internet at the public library.

Successfully completing our goal, we forged on while feeling the effects of the time change. J and S did great all day. We drove to Albany to a mall and worked on the following:

- groceries

- cell phones

- bank account

- internet for home (this might take some time...)

- fidget spinners for both J and S

We returned home to cook dinner, get the kids showered and get to bed. I went to bed at 9 PM having almost fallen asleep eating my dinner. It's currently 4 AM and I'm now wide awake writing this post.

On today's agenda, buying a used car...