Day 1 - Arrival, Finally April 20, 2015

This was a very long journey. I left my home at 6:30am for a 9:30 flight on SouthWest Air with a stopover in Denver the arrival at LAX was 2:30PST. Not too bad of a trip so far. The longest delay was a 9 hour layover in LAX before getting ready to depart at 11:15pm for Auckland.
The International terminal was not where I was directed but rather two additional terminals away. No matter, I needed a long walk anyway.

Smooth moving through checkin, customs and then through to the interior of the International location. One thing I notice is the uniforms of the different airlines flight attendants, Turkey, China, and New Zealand had the most beautiful dresses for the ladies. There was a mall, much like other airports, and many different seating areas with electric ports for charging devices. I managed to read a book while waiting and it made the time go much faster.

I was getting sleepy when it was finally time to board our flight. Previously I upgraded my economy seat to Premium Economy by way of a "bid". It is a unique way NZ allows people to upgrade. The original upgrade cost would be $1300 for both ways to upgrade, but my bid of $350 was accepted for the LAX to AUK leg of this trip. I have a bit for my return trip entered, but I will not know until 7 days before departure.

The flight staff gave us warm face wash cloth and it felt great to clean my face at 3am EST! I ate the first course of cheese and crackers, a serving of sliced ham with a bit of jam and fresh mozzerella. It was very good. There was a menu for ordering dinner, but I was too tired to eat, so I slept.  In my row of 3 seats, I was the only passenger, so I spread out my stuff. The seat armrest did not move, so I couldn't go too far. The seats were comfortable with foot rests and a nice recline.

Arrived in Auckland at 7:30am and by the time I walked to get my luggage, and found the domestic terminal I had only 45 minutes until the next and final flight for me left for Queenstown. I met another person on my trip, Lisa from New York and we chatted and shared a shuttle to the Hotel.

This is an exclusive hotel, Reese Hotel, for this area. We each have our own room and this photo is the view from my room. Taken with my iPhone and edited with SnapSeed app.
As we learn different techniques, apps, and ideas, I will try to post them here for my photography loving friends!