First day in New Zealand

In-flight map of plane crossing International Date Line on the way to Auckland

Cathy, Natalie, and Betsy at the airport

Went to the top of Auckland's Sky Tower

After a 5 hour flight to Los Angeles, a few hours layover, and then a 13 hour flight to Auckland, the adventure begins!

I met the other 14 people in my travel group at the airport. After checking into our hotel rooms, our tour leader Catherine, took us on a short walking tour of Auckland (a city of about 1.25 million people). Everyone in the group seems congenial, and it should be a good two weeks with them. 

I have connected with two women in particular, Natalie and Betsy from Tucson. The three of us went to to the top of Auckland's Sky Tower, similar to the Seattle Space Needle, for lovely views of the city and harbor.

After a group dinner at a restaurant, I hope to get to sleep early tonight and ward off jet lag.