Time travellers

Today is our last few hours in a NZ. Our fight isn't until 3pm so we decided to wake up early, pack, check out, and feed the animals in the Deer Park before lunch.

Both of us really didn't want to stop foot into the hotel restaurant so we decided to forgo breakfast. We tried to eat our 2 leftover slices of pizza but they we're really the type of pizza that you could eat cold. I nibbled on some cheese bread that we got earlier which was enough to tie me over until lunch.

On to the Deer Park we went. We passed by some cafes near the airport so we knew where to find our lunch. We had $25 and some coins left of our NZ$ and it was $20 per car to get into the Deer Park. So we swapped our $5 bill for some $1 coins for food to feed the animals in the park. The first of 2 food dispensers had some donkeys, mini horses, ducks, pigs, and chickens on the other side of the fence with some sheep on our side. Watching us park and walk toward the bin, they all come running. But I get the dollar coin stuck in the machine and nothing comes out. Booo!!! We told them we'd come back later.

Next we drive around where the bus took us a few days before. There was a bison sitting on the side of the road. Looked like his horns were newly sharpened (like we can tell the difference). But we still didn't want to get out of the car... Moving on. Dispenser #2 shows up. This one works just fine, but no animals to feed. *sigh* So we find some picnic tables to sit at for a while. I (Melissa) shook the feed can around seeing if the sheep/goats were like my cat when we open a can of cat food. Nothing. Its a big breezy at 10am so we head back to the car and drive back to the food dispenser. What do you know... the animals were waiting for us. =) Goats on our side of the fence, horses on the other. One little billy goat took a liking to me right away. Jumping on my leg to say hello. Or maybe it was the can of feed. Later another goat and 2 kids came over, but they were more skittish.

We got another can of feed for the animals at the first dispenser. Sheep are a lot more demanding than goats. These were the big fuzzy sheep, not the freshly shaved, skinny sheep. I was having fun. =P Chris took all the pictures. Can's empty... and we were getting hungry. We drove toward the exit and got stopped by about 6 donkeys standing in the middle of the one lane road and a deer watching from the farther up the hill. A baby donkey was laying on the road. *honk honk* *flash the high beams* Nothing would move them. We had no more food. We just sat there staring at each other. Then I decide to get out of the car. I tried yelling, shoooing... finally I pick up a pinecone (they were small ones) and toss them to the donkeys as if it were food. And what do you know, they start moving. So I throw more cones toward the side of the road. They start walking toward me. "GET BACK IN THE CAR!!!" Yells Chris. So I do. Now all 5 are next to or behind the car, but the yearling is still sitting comfortably in the middle of the road, not to be bothered by some crazy humans without food. So Chris tries to edge the car closer and closer to it hoping it will move. Of course it doesn't. But he's far left enough that maybe we can barely pass by on his right without hitting him. Holding our breath, we keep going. I open the window to check the clearance. We're inches away, but we're clear. *pheww* Then I see a big sign that says "Empty Cans Here." So we could've got a 3rd can of food in case we ran into some animals on our way out (like the herd of deer like last time). But we didn't.

Back we go toward the airport and the restaurant we saw nearby. Chris had to order his favorite fish and chips for the last time in NZ. I got a lasagne. We ate lunch outside while trying to avoid the bees and flies that seemed to like our salads. It was noon and our flight was at 3pm. Do we go to the airport early and play scrabble or people watch with the bugs. We went straight for the car.

While driving the few blocks to the small airport, we see some signs for a shopping center. So we head over to waste some time. The shopping center consisted of a grocery store, a home depot type place, an REI lookalike, and some cafes. We went to the overpriced sporting goods store and used up about 45-60 minutes.

We leave for the airport and try to decifer the arrows and signs directing us to the rental car return. 2+ hours early for our flight, we check in our baggage and wait. We grabbed another packaged frozen delight and sit in the airport cafe playing scrabble until they let us go through security. Apparently there's a door and they only let you you into the boarding area as soon as boarding begins, but no earlier.

Boarding time rolls around and we put our carry-ons on the conveyer belt along with any cell phones, change, or other metal objects. We get pass the detectors fine but getting our bags back.... Chris' backpack goes in twice. "Excuse me sir, can we look in your bag?" *sigh* Of course we can't just go through on our last day without something happening. The lady opens the small pockets... "Do you have a lens or camera in here?" Chris pulls out his new wide angle lens from the very bottom of his backpack. "Oh, okay. Its just distorting our view on the monitor." Back through the machine it goes. "Okay, Thank you."

The hour & 45 minute flight was fine. Just like hoping to LA from SFO. Well, a little longer. Auckland airport took a little longer cuz we had to walk to the international terminal & wait in line to pay the departure fee and customs. We get to the customs lady, she scans our stuff, reads our paperwork and passports. No departure stamp?!?! My first international trip and I don't get both stamps???? Chris says they don't do it in Mexico either. But its my first stamp. =(

We had about 30 mintes before we could sit in the boarding area so we got some pastries from the Kiwi Cafe in the airport. Again the backpack goes through the dectectors twice, but no searching this time. Another hour of Scrabble in the boarding area before we board.

We finally get to enter our new home for the next 12 hours. No babies near us this time, with the exception of a perhaps 2-3 year old who just learned to talk... loud. Lucky she was only loud during the first hour and last hour of our flight. Waiting, waiting, waiting for everyone to board. Out to the runway. Waiting, waiting, waiting. "This is your captain speaking. Sorry for the delay. There a minor technical problem and well be going back to the terminal so our engineers can fix the minor problem. It should only take 10 minutes or so."

Problems get fixed and we're in the air. "The flight attendents will be passing out the necessary paperwork to enter the US." Question # 4 says "Have you been on a farm or handled farm animals?" *big sigh* We have to answer yes. We land, go through customs... "You were on a farm?" "Yes" Big red "A" circled right in the middle of our form. "Thank you." Great. What does that mean? We wait a long time for our bags and they broke the peg off the bottom of our big luggage!!?! Now its a 3 legged piece of luggage. But its cheap luggage anyway. Not worth complaining about. We'll find a fix.

On to customs again to check for fruit, etc. We get directed to the "A" line with the screeners waiting while everyone else goes to the "Nothing To Declare" line. Our luggages goes in, comes out. "Thank You." That's it? Okay. So why do they bother asking if they're not going to check our shoes or something?

My parents pick us up and we go out for lunch. Real Chinese food. Yummm. Hang out at the house, go home to rest. Home. Nice word. Glad to be here. And the fish are fine, all plants still alive. We're back just in time to finish of the 3 day weekend. =)

Wiper count: 45 and 1