Day 3, March 18, 2016

We have arrived!   The end of a long day of travel and we are at our home for the next four nights.

Our cottage on Lake Rotrura

It's good to be here. Yesterday, which started on the 16th and ended on the 18th, was a very long day. We were traveling for over 24 hours. Rhys had one of his worst days ever. The stress of the travel and his anxiety made him a very difficult travel companion.

We got to the airport in Denver at 2 PM, leaving at 430. The flight to L.A. was quick and not too painful. We then had a five hour layover at LAX. This is where Rhys completely lost his mind. We were finally able to board our Air New Zealand flight a little bit after 10 PM. Once we got on the plane he settled in and was able to relax.

The flight was a little over 12 hours but was surprisingly good. The seats were comfortable enough, for coach. They had USB chargers in the seat front and a very comprehensive movie collection available. I actually slept for eight hours of the flight and then watched a couple of movies. Tracy and the boys did not get as much sleep but were still able to enjoy some TV shows and movies.

Our arrival in Auckland was as easy as any international arrival I've ever had. Customs was quick with almost no lines. We were able to get our bags quickly and get out to the airport. There were two phone company booths right outside of arrivals. While Tracy got us local sim cards for our phones I called the rental company for a shuttle and got some coffee.

Tracy grabbed the boys some food, we jumped on the shuttle, got our car and got on the road. Google maps guided us flawlessly to our cottage while the boys slept. We got moved in and checked out the local town. Pizza for lunch and back to the cottage to check out the lake.

There were ducks to feed; the boys had insisted on buying some bread so that we could share. When we got there the ducks had moved on but the seagulls had flown in. Handfuls of bread thrown quickly into the air freed the boys up for their real priority - wading.

At some point Rhys decided that getting his feet wet and cold would help calm him down. That seemed more than reasonable to Owyn so nothing would do but that they got to wade in the lake.

So far, we have been blown away with how beautiful New Zealand is. It reminds me of Cornwall or Wales, but with better roads and a more american feel. The plants are beautiful, the terrain is interesting and the people have been very nice.