40 Hour Trek

And so it begins...
After saying our last goodbyes to Ronan and Katherine at the Dublin airport, we hoisted our 40lbs backpacks on our shoulders and set on our way.

Flight number one.
Etihad proved to be the most lavish of the three flights. Individual movie screens, earplugs, eye masks, blankets, pillows, and we can't leave out the free booze. We had our dinner with a couple glasses of wine and for the next eight hours fought the urge to sleep with movies and New Zealand guidebooks.

We arrived in Abu Dhabi at some point in the late morning, and about 6:30 am Ireland time. Soon we found ourselves piled into a crowded terminal without boarding passes for our next flight and with no idea of the direction we were meant to go. After wandering in circles underneath an expansive mosaic we finally asked someone how to get to the Virgin Australia terminal.

Once there we waited in line for about an hour as they painstakingly tried to figure out how to print our tickets. This was our first wavering moment. Exhausted and frustrated we laughed at ourselves while muttering "era", a term that we have grown to love as it encompasses most of our feelings during high stress situations.

Flight number two.
Virgin Australia, the popular kids airline. The flight attendants wore tiny red dresses, the colors bold, and the safety instructions performed by sarcastic little cartoon characters.
I was out before take off and Morgan reached beyond exhaustion and found herself watching movies she no doubt would forget in the morning.
They were good to us, refilling water every thirty minutes and feeding us with good food. However it never took away from the three crying babies two rows ahead. I put my sound canceling headphones to good use while Morgan was forced to endure the shrills of wailing infants. She found herself clinching her fists out of sheer torture.
Thirteen hours later and I had slept eight hours and watched Argo and Hurt Locker and was feeling quite aggressive. ;)

The Sydney airport was good to us and in no time we were on Air New Zealand.

Flight Number Three.
Bear Grills delivers the safety features over the screens. Stowing a live fish in the "overhead compartment", an elevated ledge of rock.
It was a quick flight. Morgan watched Zero Dark Thirty, the war theme continues, and I watched Anthony Bourdain.

We flew over the Tasman sea for two and a half hours until a green mountainous coastline slowly came into view. We had finally arrived and we couldn't believe it.

Only six months ago coming here was a fleeting dream. One that crossed our minds and one that we've always hoped to do, yet one that never seemed practical.

So here we are. In Auckland, a city with green water, ever changing weather, expensive Guinness, and a laid back way of life. It's teaching us about adventure, being present, and trusting each other.

Here you will find our happiest moments as well as the ones that test us as friends and as individual explorers as we discover a new country full of magic and volcanoes.

Liz and Morgan