Auckland at last!
[Note to my "followers" -- If you click on any of the photos in this post, they will enlarge to full screen and you can scroll through a slide show of the images -- a lot easier to see!] So, it finally has come! I’ve arrived in New Zealand after sooooo many months of planning! Everything went smoothly right up to the bio-screening at NZ Customs … My hiking boots, which had been spotless the day before, had a bit of mud on them! Between leaving my lodging in Hawaii and arriving in Auckland, somewhere I had stepped in some mud. Wish I had thought to check them either at the Honolulu airport or at a restroom before going through customs … New Zealand takes soil contamination very seriously – and rightly so. Their iconic Kauri (pronounced Kody) trees are threatened from a soil fungus that was brought in years ago on the tracks of some earthmoving equipment. The inspection officer was nice about it and a quick rinse and I was on my way … I’ve never been “g