Uber picked us up from the hotel at 7:50 a.m to ensure we caught our flight to Auckland at 11:20 a.m. Upon arriving at the airport and attempting to drop off our luggage, we encountered the first surprise. We were asked if we had a visa for New Zealand or an NZeTA card. I replied that, as Polish citizens, we didn’t need a visa. However, we were informed that without an electronic NZeTA permit, we wouldn’t be able to fly. They added that the permit could be obtained online with an immediate decision. That was a relief, unsure of what exactly this permit is, we downloaded the application and filled out the forms, paying a fee of 260 NZD. After 15 minutes, everything was ready, and we had a moment for a snack before heading to the gates. Before long, we were already boarding the plane.

The checks at Auckland airport were quite detailed; we had to go through three different queues, including passport control and inspection of plant and animal products. The whole process took us about an hour. Then we proceeded to pick up our car, this time an electric one. There we met Piotr, a friendly guy from Warsaw, to whom we send warm greetings.

During the car pickup, we had another opportunity to “upgrade” it. This time, the man offered me a brand-new BMW IX 3 for a very modest extra fee of £15 per day, totalling £600 for the entire stay. While Marianna keeps a cool head in such situations, my fantasies about cars sometimes can take over. However, we ultimately stuck with our initial choice—the Kia Niro EV. I fell for a similar offer in Tasmania. My advice is to stick to the plan and budget you’ve set in advance.

Another observation of ours: we met Piotr during the car pickup, where we were relaxed and joking quite a bit, feeling like old pals with him. However, in the parking lot during the car pickup, there was nobody from the rental company. For several minutes, we searched for anyone who could give us the car. I got a bit annoyed and said to Marianna, “I don’t like this situation.” At that moment, we heard, “Well, how do you like it here? I’ve been cheated three times already, in Sydney.” A frustrated Pole at the airport in New Zealand, in the parking lot in a shack. Luckily, Marianna quickly intervened, literally cutting him off with, “Excuse me, do you know where the car rental guys are?” The man instantly realized that we weren’t there to be his audience for venting his frustration. So, what’s our observation in all this? If you’re cheerful, you emanate that, attracting people who radiate the same. If you’re upset, the same will come back to you. Two Poles at the airport in New Zealand, in two extreme situations within 30 minutes.

After about an hour, everything was sorted out, and we headed to our first home in Glen Afton. We had about 100 kilometres to go. The journey went relatively smoothly except for a short rainstorm just beyond Auckland.

About 5 kilometres from our first home in New Zealand, we saw a burnt car on the side of the road, and there were plenty of tire marks from burnouts on the road itself. For a moment, I thought, “Where are we?”

Photo: Burned car on the roadside, New Zealand.

Five minutes later, just before 9:00 p.m., we were already in our first home in New Zealand. Here Michelle, the owner, surprised us by preparing a delicious lasagna. Marcel summed it up: “Mom, this lasagna is even better than yours.” We were also charmed by the cleanliness of the house and the warmth with which the owner greeted us. Michelle literally welcomed us like long-lost friends she hadn’t seen in years and wanted to make our stay as comfortable as possible.

Photo: Our first home in Glen Afton, New Zealand

The house where we stayed used to be accommodation for managers of a shut down coal mine, where the largest mining tragedy in New Zealand’s history occurred in 1939.

Photo: Memorial plaque for the victims of the largest mining tragedy in New Zealand.

On our first day, still feeling the effects of the journey from Sydney, we noticed a significant difference in temperature—it was much warmer here than in Tasmania, especially at night when the temperature reached around 20 degrees Celsius, and during the day, it reached even 27 degrees.

We decided to spend our first day mainly in the garden. Apart from the morning shopping, we relaxed after a very active weekend in Sydney. The boys discovered a new hobby—playing chess all day, sometimes with me, sometimes with their pet toys, and sometimes with each other. Marcel even taught Aliya how to play. We noticed that there was no competition between them—they practically supported each other all the time, giving each other hints and retries if something didn’t work out.

Photo: Marcel and Wiktor are playing chess

At the end of the day, we tested the popcorn machine. We had never had a popcorn machine before.

Photo: Testing a popcorn machine.

Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin exploring the area.