All night flight arriving at 8:00 am. We met the Vittitoes, got a rental car, cash, phone chip ( that we don't know how to use), and got lost from airport to Auckland in the rain with plenty of back seat driving for Craig. Found the hotel, had a yummy bite ( NZ burger with egg, beets,) and jumped a 30 minute ferry to Waiheke island. We rented bikes but, of course, decided against the 1-2 hour ride and chose the entire island ride, getting lost multiple times... We kept going uphill a lot. Terry and Suzanne were troopers, and led the way. Pretty much this is an adventure all 60 year olds would choose the first day with little sleep... so fun and lots of laughs! Beautiful views, cool beaches, and really nice people. Exhausted, we stopped at a winery, had some samples, and as we were leaving, an artist, who was putting tiles on a wall by the winery, advised us to take a different way back thru the vineyard. It was beautiful but steep up and down, that required us to walk the bikes, navigate stone and dirt stairs. narrow bridges, and we missed the beach that was the goal of the whole ride! Lots of laughs, but Suzanne and Terry were done. We still had about 10 miles to get back. So they jumped on a bus, and Jim and Craig rode back. We are about to get a bite after a shower, and we will sleep well tonite. Just the first exhausting day of the trip. Many more I'm sure. We'll send pics as we figure how to do so.
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