We're Here!

Or there, or somewhere in time. I have no idea how many time zones we crossed coming from Maine to Auckland, but the end result is that Stockton Springs is 18 hours behind New Zealand, which means that we jumped into tomorrow, leaving yesterday behind and skipping today altogether. Flight out from LA to Melbourne on Virgin Australia was the best airline service and comfort I've ever seen, bar none. And having the smiling faces of John and Chris at the end of an easy walk through Customs finished the trip with joy.

This is one honkin huge city! Much bigger than I expected, and featuring some billboard advertising you'd never see in the States. Can you just see this one in North Carolina? Then again, they do have Kum 'n Go gas stations...

Seriously, my grandfather was sent to Christchurch when I was a child, as an engineer to oversee the construction and startup operation of a natural condom factory there. He and Gramma loved the three or so years they lived in this country. So does that mean I'm returning to my roots?

After forcing ourselves to stay up until 8:30 last night we hit the ground running this morning, first with a brisk walk around the city, then taking the ferry across the bay to Devonport. It's a tourist mecca of shops, galleries and a few historic sites, among them Mt. Victoria, which we bravely started up.

In an effort to avoid the traffic, I opted for the lovely grass pathway that seemed to wind its way around the hill. The picture above, and the one at the start of this blog, were the result. A misty day gave everything a lush and glowing light, and turned my hair in to a frizz flame. Not too long after we stopped to take this picture, the path narrowed to just a few inches wide, and the hill got scary steep. I tried putting David in front of me, but even that didn't get my willies under control, and we turned around. (New Zealanders would say I piked out.) Too bad, as we were very close to the top. Oh well.

But the best part of the day was still to come. On our way back to the waterfront, David spotted this little picture of paradise tucked in amongst the cafes and galleries. It's our first day here, and I've already bruised my credit card on fabric! Yay!

This afternoon we meet our bikes and the rest of the group, then dinner and a good night's sleep before beginning the big ride tomorrow. Can't wait to get a good taste of these twisty roads.