Day 1

 

 Camped out in the Dallas airport waiting for our 18-hour flight to Melbourne.

Well after 37 hours we can successfully say we made it safe and sound to our hotel in Auckland, New Zealand. We started our journey at 10:30 am at the Sioux Falls airport. We learned in important lesson; it is actually not crazy to be 3 hours early for your flight. There was only one person checking our luggage, so we all sat in line for quite some time. But we zipped through security and made our flight to Dallas in no time. Our flight to Dallas went off without a hitch. We had an additional four-hour layover in Dallas. Our groups dispersed into different terminals to find our favorite American foods while we could. Chiles, Dunkin, and a BBQ joint (while in Texas) were frequented by our group members.

 

To pass some time Carl and Elle interviewed the group to get their opinions on the trip. 

 

What food are you most excited for?

Emily-Kiwi

Carl- Lamb Chislic

Phil- Asian food that’s close to Asia

Mitchell- Lamb Burger

Ava-Seafood

Julie-Pavlova

 

What is one souvenir you want to get?

Phil- sticker for my water bottle

Mitchell- wool socks

Elle-Honey or a wool sweater

 

How are you surviving the 17-hour flight?

Halle- noise cancelling headphones and books

Brianna- sleeping

Casey- Minecraft

 

What are you most nervous about for the trip?

Brianna- 18-hour flight

Hadley- Wet feet

Halle- walking through cows

 

Then it was time to load the 18-hour flight. Overall, it was not as bad as anticipated. Most of us got a good night’s sleep. The Australian flight attendants were very attentive and made sure we had lots of goodies and food during the flight.

 

The layover in Australia was a drag. Everyone was ready to get going at this point. Emily got two chocolate croissants but not on purpose. The exhaustion was getting to her. Robin and Elle got decadent French pastries while some of the guys got Hungry Jacks (the Australian Burger King). The flight was delayed by 30 minutes. To us, this could have been a year. We were ready to get our feet in New Zealand. 

Breakfast in Australia -  From left to right- Kyle, Elle, Phil, Emily, and Carl enjoying breakfast in Australia.

 

As the plane dipped under the clouds and passengers at a window seat saw the green lands of New Zealand, we knew the traveling had been worth it. We made it through customs without a hitch. Just make sure you clarify you have goldfish crackers and not actually goldfish. You will give the New Zealand customs man a bit of a shock.

Views from Sky Tower

View from Sky Tower

 

We made it to our hotel where we washed away the 37 hours of travel stink and headed to the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower was full of abundant views of the entire city. 

We then walked downtown to a local restaurant where we got our first look at New Zealand cuisine. Lots of us tried fried shrimp and “chips” with our burgers. We are all ready for a good night’s sleep and to stretch out on an actual bed! A great "day 1". 

 

Carl and Elle