We've Arrived in Windy Wellington
We made it all in one piece and with all of our luggage. I really wish I had one spare second to think about taking a picture of all 9 pieces of it. It didn't seem like so much when we had Jake's family schlepping it for us. But when we got to Auckland and had to pull all nine 51 lb bags off the belt, it got scary. Thank goodness one of the attendants helped us through the customs line. Once we were through customs, Joanna was there waiting for us with a look of shock and amusement. Apparently the terminal that we needed to transfer our bags to was half a mile away. Fortunately (for some) they offer a service to those checking in at least 60 minutes before your flight. They'll haul your luggage to the other terminal for you and check it in. We checked in 57 minutes before our flight and so Joanna got more than she bargained for. She schlepped a cart with 255 lbs of luggage half a mile at 6 am to our terminal.
The girls did great on the flights until our last leg from Auckland to Wellington. To be honest, I wanted to cry at that point as well. Two employees from WETA met us and drove us and our luggage over to the City Life Hotel in downtown Wellington. It's a nice two bedroom apartment with a kitchen and washer/dryer.
We're all adjusting to the time zones a bit. The girls went to bed at 1pm then Sophie got up at midnight and wanted breakfast. Josie was up shortly after that We let them stay up for a while then got them back to bed (with much fussing). Now we are up again, Sophie is having her second breakfast and Josie is going on two full nights sleep in 24 hours.
It's pretty crazy going from our quiet cul-de-sac in Endicott to downtown Wellington. We're staying in the business district so it gets very quiet at night and seems to be slow waking up this morning. Sophie enjoyed watching the buses drive by and the service trucks pulling in to restaurants and shops.
Jake's shaving and showering for his first day on the job! I can't believe he goes in today. I guess it's mostly setting up a bank account, discussing taxes and then in the afternoon we are looking at three houses. Should be fun! Hopefully we find the camera by then so we can post pictures of our potential new home and your (yes you) guest room when you come to visit us.
The girls did great on the flights until our last leg from Auckland to Wellington. To be honest, I wanted to cry at that point as well. Two employees from WETA met us and drove us and our luggage over to the City Life Hotel in downtown Wellington. It's a nice two bedroom apartment with a kitchen and washer/dryer.
We're all adjusting to the time zones a bit. The girls went to bed at 1pm then Sophie got up at midnight and wanted breakfast. Josie was up shortly after that We let them stay up for a while then got them back to bed (with much fussing). Now we are up again, Sophie is having her second breakfast and Josie is going on two full nights sleep in 24 hours.
It's pretty crazy going from our quiet cul-de-sac in Endicott to downtown Wellington. We're staying in the business district so it gets very quiet at night and seems to be slow waking up this morning. Sophie enjoyed watching the buses drive by and the service trucks pulling in to restaurants and shops.
Jake's shaving and showering for his first day on the job! I can't believe he goes in today. I guess it's mostly setting up a bank account, discussing taxes and then in the afternoon we are looking at three houses. Should be fun! Hopefully we find the camera by then so we can post pictures of our potential new home and your (yes you) guest room when you come to visit us.
oh! sophie's already leading the life of a hobbit...second breakfast!! so glad you all made it there safely. good luck on the house hunt. hope you get some moments of relaxation. : )
I'm glad to hear that everyone made it to Wellington in one piece. After that trip, I'm sure everything will be easy in comparison.