Auckland, New Zealand

It is 7pm on Saturday and I am doing everything I can to keep my eyes open.

Our total travel time from Nashville to Auckland was 25 hours, including a grueling 14-hour flight from LAX to Auckland. Matt and I were both really dreading such a long flight, especially since our seats weren’t together! After we’d settled into the plane, however, the kindest man sitting beside me offered to switch seats with Matt so we could “honeymoon together.” We will always remember his generosity!

Once we landed in Auckland, we grabbed our rental car and faced the biggest challenge of our trip so far: driving on the other side of the road!! Matt, in all his bravery, was an instant pro. Everything in the car and on the road was counter-intuitive and therefore, terrifying. We quickly learned that roundabouts are a thing to be feared, New Zealanders don’t go faster than 60mph (100kph), and left turns are easier than right turns.

After settling into our precious hotel room at the Grand Windsor in downtown Auckland, we took the car for a spin, heading to Mission Bay to take a walk along the beach and eat at a beachside cafe.

Later, we drove through the city, stopping at the harbor and fish market to look at all the boats, and then explored some of the cute neighborhoods and shops around Ponsonby and Wynyard Quarter.