October 10, ’04 – Pretty much whenever we were in Auckland it was raining and we learned that NZ weather is completely unpredictable.  Even the locals don’t attempt it.

When we arrived at the Auckland airport for our return flight to the U.S. we discovered our flight had been canceled!  However, it turned out to be a real gift because our original flight was through Los Angeles with a change of planes to fly to San Jose, with only two hours to get through customs, etc.  So, because our flight was canceled we were able to secure a flight nonstop to San Francisco and we had 4 seats to ourselves so we could stretch out and sleep for most of the flight.  The cancellation was the best thing that could have happened for us.

Here’s a little riddle for you…  We left Auckland at 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, October 10 and we flew eleven hours.  We arrived in San Francisco at 11:50 a.m. on Sunday, October 10!  Amazing!

And here’s a bit of terminology we learned from our adventure to the land down under:

• In New Zealand, Burger King is Burger King, but in Australia it is Hungry Jacks.

• Passing on the freeway is Overtaking.

• Fork lifts are fork trucks.

• Bugger off = well, you know!  %*&(!$*!

• Cotton candy is known as Angel Floss (that’s my favorite)

• Chocker full is blocked traffic and you get double demerits for a traffic violation.

• An arcade is a shopping area, not a place to play games.

You Might Also Like:

Melbourne, Australia ~ The Great Ocean Road ~ Sydney Opera House ~ Tongariro National Park ~ Ohinetonga Loop Walk