The Traveling Sput

January 25, 2019

We woke up to clouds and sprinkles. It had rained during the night. It was time to say goodbye to Rotorua, but we were not done with seeing thermal activity. Our destination today was the Orakei Korako Geothermal Park, about an hour drive from the cabin via the Te Kopia road. Afterwards to stay for the night, we would drive to Turangi via Huka Falls and the town of Taupo (estimated 1 hour 15 minutes drive time from Orakei Korako).

We checked out of the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park and then drove south to the Te Kopia mudpots. This was a fun little walk right next to the road. It was a nice group of mudpots with nobody else round.

Then it was on to Orakei Korako. The weather was still cloudy but it had stopped raining. At the entrance we were informed that the ticket was good for only one round trip boat ride across the river, and that there were no bathrooms on the other side. This was a bit concerning to me since we had intended to stay the entire day.

There were only a few other tourists there, so in the morning we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. By late morning the clouds cleared and we had a nice sunny afternoon.

Highlights were Cascade Geyser, Sapphire Geyser, and a new geyser with 3 craters that broke out near the Golden Fleece terrace. We saw the right crater vent erupt in the morning, and the left crater with two vents in full eruption in early afternoon. We did not get a closed interval. In the Artists Palette area we saw eruptions of Psyche's Bath, #742 Square Spring, #764, #772, #783, #786, #787, and #812 which is a continuous spouter at the base of the Pyramid of Geysers.

We left at about 3:30 PM and drove to Huka Falls. This was billed as the most popular waterfall in New Zealand, but since we arrived late afternoon it was not too crowded. The best view point was down a trail on the same side of the river as the car park.

Then we drove to Turangi. This drive was really slow. Google Maps routed us through the town of Taupo which seemed like a big tourist trap. I was not impressed. On the main highway south of town there had been a big car accident which delayed us by a half hour. If we had to do it over again, we would have backtracked from Huka Falls to Wairakei and taken Highway 1 south to avoid Taupo.

Near Turangi we stopped to visit the Tokaanu Hot Springs. There were paid hot springs but also a free 20-minute walk around a couple of mudpots and hot springs. At the end of the walk was a geyser that supposedly erupted every few minutes, but it did nothing while we were there.

Then we drove to our place to stay for the night, Moe Marie Sleep Peacefully B and B. It was a very nice place, a small quiet cottage in a residential area. A cat invited itself into the room to keep us company. I would stay there again. We had a microwave oven and very small refrigerator stocked with continental breakfast supplies.

The freezer compartment was too small to store our cooler ice blocks, so we quickly drove into town to buy ice and some dinner supplies. Dinner was baked potatoes with ham, bacon, red pepper and sour cream.

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More videos:

• Cascade and Sapphire Geysers, Orakeikorako, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
• Orakeikorako New Feature, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
• Artist's Palette, Orakeikorako, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
• Orakeikorako Thermal Features, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig.

January 24, 2019

This was another day where the weather was cloudy with light rain in the morning but cleared in the afternoon. We drove to the Z gas station to fill up. Then we drove to the Starbucks in downtown Rotorua to get a You Are Here mug for my niece Liz. They did not have a mug for Rotorua, but they had one for Queenstown.

It was a 20-minute drive south to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, and we were there in time for the opening at 8:30. That gave us less than 2 hours to see the valley before our reserved boat tour at 10:25.

Inferno Crater Lake was a beautiful blue color and a highlight of the walk. Nearby the Bird's Nest perpetual spouter at the base of the hill up to Inferno was fun to watch.

There was no sign of where Waimangu Geyser used to be: the crater is completely filled in.

We managed to do most of the walk but caught a shuttle bus at 10:15 to get us to the boat tour in time. For future visits I think it would be better to reserve a later time for the boat tour to allow us enough time to finish the walk through the thermal areas beforehand. The 10:25 time made it feel rushed.

The Lake Rotomahana boat tour was totally worth it. We were first on the boat so got good seats at the back. A tour of 25 people filled up the remaining spots on the boat. The highlight was getting to see Pink Terrace Geyser up close.

After the boat tour we took the shuttle bus back to the spot where we needed to finish the walk. We took the steep side trail to see some craters but we did not think they were worth the extra effort. There was a very nice overlook of Mount Tarawera and Lake Rotomahana.

We stopped in the gift shop where I found a couple of T-shirts and a magnet to buy, and Heinrich bought several books.

Since it was still early afternoon, we decided to drive to see the redwoods. This is a very nice park on the outskirts of Rotorua with lots of hiking trails. We spent about an hour walking through the main redwood grove.

Back at the cabin we had chicken carbonara for dinner. I spent a half hour soaking in the geothermally heated hot tub. I was the only person there.

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More videos:

• Rotomahana Geysers, 2019 January 24. H.Koenig
• Waimangu Thermal Features, Part 1, 2019 January 24. H.Koenig
• Waimangu Thermal Features, Part 2, 2019 January 24. H.Koenig

January 23, 2019

It was a 20-minute drive from our cabin to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, and we arrived in time for their opening at 8:30. Heinrich did the driving. It was good practice for him to drive on the left, and the roads were nice and wide. The weather in the morning was cool and cloudy, but by late morning the clouds cleared and it was sunny for the rest of the day.

The first stop was the mud pool located about a mile from the Wai-O-Tapu entrance. This was a very nice mudpot and can be viewed for free. Nobody else was there.

We spent the next hour seeing the various craters and springs. Champagne Pool was very colorful, like a smaller version of Grand Prismatic Spring. Devil's Bath was also beautiful with an intense green color.

Then it was on to see the scheduled eruption of Lady Knox Geyser at 10:15. We got there early enough to get front row seats for the spectacle. On cue, the park employee gave a little speech and dumped the bag of soap into the vent. After a couple of minutes the globs of soap started pouring out and then the geyser was in full eruption. After a few minutes the soap was no longer visible. Many folks left after only a few minutes. After a half hour there were only a few people that remained. We did not stay until the end (the geyser erupts for 1 to 2 hours).

Apparently the geyser can still erupt naturally if it were left alone, once every few days.

In the afternoon we finished walking the remaining trails. It was much more crowded then due to everyone else on the trail that had been at Lady Knox.

We found Waiotapu Geyser. The crater was slowly filling with water and bubbling periodically. We decided to wait for the eruption. We spent the next 1.5 hours watching the crater fill with increased boiling. Finally we were rewarded with the eruption! One vigorous splash hit me on my arm. The water was still hot and it was close to getting a burn.

On the way out we stopped at the gift shop where I bought a Champagne Pool magnet.

On the way back to Rotorua I wanted to stop at Rainbow Mountain, but the location was incorrect in Google Maps and we did not find the car park. Instead we decided to hike a trail that took us to an overlook of Pohutu Geyser! The trail was at the mountain bike car park just outside of Rotorua. It climbed through a gorgeous fern and spruce forest. At the overlook we could see Pohutu was in eruption. It was also a great view of downtown Rotorua and the lake.

Back at our cabin we spent a relaxing evening, did laundry, and cooked a potatoes and egg dinner.

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More videos:

• Waiotapu Geyser, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Waiotapu Thermal Features, Part 1, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Waiotapu Thermal Features, Part 2, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Waiotapu Mud Pots, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Lady Knox "Geyser", 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
  

January 22, 2019

What an amazing day at Te Puia, our first geyser gazing experience in New Zealand! The weather was great, and we saw 3 major eruptions of Kereru Geyser and 6 eruptions of Pohutu.

Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park was within easy walking distance of Te Puia, and it was a nice break from driving. We left the room at about 7 AM and stopped to look at some mudpots near the golf course along the way.

We were the first people in the Te Puia entrance gate at 7:58 AM. We immediately headed to Pohutu. At the first overlook we could see that Prince of Wales Feathers was in eruption, and Pohutu was splashing. When we arrived at Pohutu the eruption was on, near start. We had the first 10 minutes of the eruption almost all to ourselves, and I got some nice videos of it backlit. The eruption went on and on, and I thought maybe it was in a wild phase. I sent a message to Tara Cross, who told me Demetri Stoumbos had seen long durations with 70 minutes on and 40 minutes off.

Sure enough, the eruption finally quit after 45 minutes or so. The first 15 minutes had high water, but then it subsided and did a lot of low surging. It did look a little like Clepsydra at that point.

Kereru was not doing anything. We saw a few puffs of steam but no water.

After watching a second Pohutu eruption we walked around to see some small mudpots, pools, and other thermal features.

We returned to see that Kereru had not changed. We walked to the other side of Pohutu to wait for it and see the eruption start from a different angle. We were waiting there for about 10 minutes, watching the preplay from Prince of Wales Feathers. Suddenly I saw a big column of water rise from behind Pohutu. Kereru!

By the time I ran around to get a better view, the eruption was over. Unless it started to do something during the 10 minutes we were out of view, it gave no warning.

Afterwards we watched a few minor eruptions, but none were very tall. 50 minutes later we noticed the minor play getting a little stronger. I started the video on my phone in hopes of capturing a better minor. The water column steadily climbed until it turned into another major! It was spectacular but the entire eruption was over in less than a minute.

2.5 hours later we were fortunate to see a third major eruption of Kereru. This time we had about 5 minutes of warning. The minor eruptions had quieted down, then suddenly became stronger before the major.

Our observed rule of thumb: strong minor eruptions of Kereru every 2 to 3 minutes will not lead to a major. It needs to have an extended period of quiet activity or very small minors.

We continued to walk various trails in the area to see mudpots and other thermal features.

By late afternoon I was really feeling the effects of the sun, and my feet were sore from standing all day. At around 4 PM the local Maori kids decided to go swimming and were climbing all over the sinter formations around Pohutu. I guess it is their land, so they are entitled.

Before we left, we went to the Kiwi bird house. That was a disappointment since it was crowded inside, hot and stifling. My eyes did not adjust to the dark and I never saw the birds. But altogether it was a wonderful day and I definitely want to go back some day. Our final stop was at the gift shop where I purchased some magnets and Heinrich got a geothermal book.

For dinner we had hamburgers in our kitchen cabin. We did not go anywhere afterwards for the evening since we were both bone tired.

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More videos:

• Kereru Geyser Activity for 2019 January 22. H.Koenig.
• Pohutu Geyser Eruptions, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua, 2019 January 22. H.Koenig.
• Whakawerarewa Thermal Features, 2019 January 22. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
  

January 21, 2019

Today's final destination was Rotorua, the land of geysers (expected drive time 2.5 hours). We started the day by walking out to the beach to see the sunrise. There was a layer of clouds near the horizon, but they did not obscure the sun. It was quite cool and windy.

After checking out of the room, Heinrich got his chance to drive. He drove to Whiritoa Beach. There was not much traffic, but once again the road got very twisty with many sharp curves. Coromandel Peninsula is full of them. The good news is that it seems to keep the tour buses away. The beach was pretty, uncrowded and quiet.

It was time to say farewell to the beaches of Coromandel. We headed inland and stopped briefly at Owharoa Falls. The falls were very pretty, and it was another place we had to ourselves.

Then it was off to the Karangahake Gorge. We took the Windows Walk, about an hour hike round trip. This was a gorgeous forest with tree ferns. The walk went up an old gold mining route with a large tunnel. We walked on the old mine rail tracks. The gorge views were very nice. We brought our flashlights to use in the tunnel.

Heinrich noticed that we were going to drive right through the town of Te Aroha, where Mokena Geyser was located. So we looked up directions on how to get there. It was a short walk to the geyser from where we parked the car. The eruption is from an old capped well, and it started only a few minutes after we arrived.

We drove on to Wairere Falls, but upon arrival we found the track to the falls was 45 minutes each way, so we skipped it.

On to Rotorua! We took a small detour north of town to Hamurama Springs. We found out they were charging $18 per person to enter, new as of 2018. It used to be free, and there are lots of complaints in Internet reviews. So we skipped it and instead drove across the street to the lake shore where we had a nice picnic lunch.

We drove to Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park, where we will be staying for the next 4 nights. We rented one of the kitchen cabins. It is a small mobile unit with a queen bed and two bunk beds, kitchenette, and TV. It reminded me a little of the budget cabin in Yellowstone. This has better facilities and is cheaper.

In the evening we drove to the New World supermarket to buy food for dinner for 4 nights. Then we drove to
Kuirau Park in downtown Rotorua. This was a great little thermal area with many mudpots, scummy holes, and a large hot lake. All free!

While at the park I heard musical sounds. At first I thought it was someone playing a recorder for entertainment in the park. Then I realized the sounds were coming from a tree, and it was a bird! It was one of the prettiest songs I have ever heard from a bird. Later on I found out it was a New Zealand bellbird. Bellbirds can be heard throughout Heinrich's Kuirau Park video, especially from about 9'00 to 10'30 and 12'30 to 13'30.

Dinner back at the room was chicken tikka masala and rice.

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More videos:

• Mokena "Geyser", Te Aroha, 2019 January 21. H.Koenig.
• Kuirau Park, Rotorua, 2019 January 21. H.Koenig.
  

January 20, 2019

Our destination today was Whangarei (approximately 2 hours 5 minutes total drive time, including side trips). After having our breakfast at Albert Mews B and B, we checked out of the room and drove to Cathedral Cove. We got to the car park very early but found out shuttles do not start until 9 AM. The upper car park is closed during summer. So we had to walk 45 minutes uphill to the upper car park.

There were great views of the ocean and beaches from the upper car park. We hiked the trail to Stingray Bay and had the place all to ourselves.

At Cathedral Cove the arch is only accessible to walk underneath during low tide. We intentionally took our time getting there since low tide was early afternoon. When we arrived, it appeared we could have gotten there much earlier since the arch area was dry. That was unfortunate since the crowds had already arrived.

We hiked to the Cathedral Cove overlook which was also worth it: great views and quiet.

On the way back we stopped to buy ice cream. I had the rum and raisin flavor which was delicious.

The road to Whangarei was very narrow and curvy with lots of one lane bridges. We finally arrived at the Pohutukawa Cove apartment which was in a nice area directly across from the beach. This was a privately owned one bedroom apartment with a full kitchen.

In the evening we hiked to Wentworth Falls. The hike was one hour each way. It was very uncrowded. The sun was directly at the top of the waterfall and made photo taking difficult. It was a nice waterfall, but due to the rather obstructed view I would not bother to go there again.

Back in town we ordered fish and chips at a takeaway and brought it back to the apartment to eat. We were too tired to go to market to buy anything for dinner. The fish and chips platter was huge and very tasty.

January 19, 2019

We got up at dawn, excited for our first full day of sightseeing in New Zealand. I was ready to go, having experienced very little jet lag. Apparently our strategy of getting up late and staying up late in Denver the week before was successful.

The weather was cool and mostly cloudy. Our destination for the day was Whitianga, approximately a 1 hour 40 minute drive. We drove north from Thames along a coastal highway. There was little traffic, which was a good thing since the road was quite narrow and twisty in spots and I was still trying to get used to driving on the left.

Our first stop was a lookout along the coast. The sun came out and it was quite nice.

Then we drove the 309 road to Waiau Falls. This was a short walk through a rainforest to see a small waterfall. It was quite nice, and nobody else was there.

Next stop on the 309 road was a hike to the Kauri trees. At the trail entrance was a Maori guide giving a survey regarding what we thought about Kauri tree protection. We noticed at the start of the trail there was a cleaning station which we used to wash and disinfect our boots. Kauri tree dieback disease is a serious problem in New Zealand, and I was glad to see steps were being taken to protect the trees.

The Maori guide said a little prayer and then sent us on our way. The Kauri trees were quite nice. The Siamese tree had two trunks growing out of the base.

We did not take the entire 309 road (it was gravel and narrow) but instead turned around and drove to the town of Coromandel. It seemed like a very cute, touristy town and not one I would want to spend much time in. Past the town was Long Bay. There was a small beach near a campground. I did not think it was pretty and the campground was crowded. It was not worth the stop.

Next we drove up a very narrow, steep and twisty road to Tokatea lookout. We lost some time there since we started walking down a gravel road to find the trailhead. After 20 minutes of walking we realized we had gone the wrong way. After returning to where we had parked the car, we found the correct trailhead. It was a steep climb up a hill to the overlook. We had a panoramic view of the town of Coromandel and the coastline. Unfortunately many of the trees were overgrown, obscuring the views. Maintenance is needed there to trim the trees. I read afterwards that better views were found across the road and up a steep hill where the cell towers were located.

We drove back to the main road and turned south and east. We drove to the east coast, which was much prettier and had many beautiful white sand beaches. We parked the car at Whangapoua Beach, and then we walked about a half mile to New Chum Beach. New Chum was gorgeous and undeveloped. It reminded me of a beach on Kauai. I could easily spend time there, although the water was too rough for snorkeling.

On the hike back from New Chum Beach, I wandered down to the edge of the ocean at Whangapoua Beach. I wanted to dip my hands in the ocean to feel the temperature of the water. About 10 feet from the ocean, I looked down and spotted a sand dollar! It was in excellent condition with no broken edges. I was shocked at my good luck. As a kid I looked for sand dollars on the beaches of Florida and never found any. On my first day on a New Zealand beach I found one without even trying.

We drove further south and found a nice spot for a picnic lunch. Across the water we were able to see New Chum Beach in the distance. It was very pretty.

Next we took a side road to Otama Beach. That road was the worst encountered so far for being steep, narrow and twisty. The beach was okay, but I did not think worth the effort to get there. We decided to skip the lookout that was further along that road.

We drove to the town of Whitianga and went to the Z station for our first gas fill up. I was able to use the 6 cents per litre discount coupon that we got at Pak N Save the day before. I also discovered that American credit cards do not work at any self service gas station in New Zealand since they are chip and signature cards, not chip and pin. This is going to be a pain in the neck to deal with since we will always have to go into the store to pay. If there is no attendant around we cannot get gas there. That rules out some of the cheaper self serve stations.

We found our lodging at Albert Mews B and B. The owners were very friendly and welcoming. There was a garden out back where we could pick fresh tomatoes. There was a separate breakfast room with a refrigerator stocked with orange juice, milk, yogurt and fruits.

We were within walking distance of a ferry to the other side of the cove. In the evening we took the ferry and then hiked to Shakespeare Cove. There were great views of the surrounding ocean and beaches from the top of the bluff. Very few other people were there: it was so quiet.

On the way back we wanted to try the fish and chips in the takeout store that was recommended to us by the owners. But the wait was over an hour. Instead we stopped at the Four Square market to buy dinner: some frozen Watties chicken and rice, and sweet and sour pork which we took back to the room to microwave. They were small portions but good.

The bed was very comfortable and I got a great night’s sleep.

January 18, 2019

On the flight to New Zealand we experienced a 20-hour time change, essentially skipping a day. We departed San Francisco on the evening of January 16 and arrived in Auckland on the morning of January 18. The flight from San Francisco to Auckland went remarkably well. I was able to sleep for at least a few hours, so when we arrived in Auckland I did not feel jet lagged. There were a lot of periods of turbulence, nothing terrible but one episode came while we were served dinner which made eating and drinking difficult. The two seats we picked at the back of the plane worked out well. There was no third seat so I had a little more room to stretch my feet.

The plane was able to make up the time lost for the delayed departure, and we actually landed a few minutes early. There was no jetway. We used stairs to exit the plane and got on a shuttle bus that drove us to the terminal. We walked through the duty free area and found a good deal with Vodaphone for a New Zealand SIM card for the cell phone and enough data to last the entire trip. Heinrich and I both got coverage.

We were relieved to find that our luggage had arrived. Going through customs was fairly easy, although we had to wait in the “Something to declare” line since we had brought hiking boots that needed to be inspected. Kauri dieback disease is a real problem, so the Kiwis want to make sure the soles of the boots are clean.

We arrived early at the Ace Rental Car terminal, and our car was not ready yet. By the time I filled out all of the paperwork it was ready. The woman at the counter waived the $2 per day extra driver fee, which was nice savings for us. We ended up with a Nissan Tiida. It is a good size for us, with a small trunk that easily fits our luggage. I did all of the driving that day since Heinrich had never driven on the left before. It was a little nerve racking getting out of Auckland but nothing too bad. I still don’t like roundabouts! I find them confusing when I am not familiar with the roads.

Since it was still early in the day and I was not feeling tired, we took the longer scenic route to Thames. It added about a hour to the drive, but I am so glad we did it (total expected drive time was 2 hours). It got us off the busy highway fairly quickly, and we got to see the countryside. We drove along the coast of the Firth of Thames, passing a few small towns, regional parks, and wildlife refuges.

We stopped briefly at Waitawa Regional Park and Orere Point. Both had nice views of the shoreline. The weather was cloudy but fairly warm, and we encountered sprinkles shortly after leaving Orere Point. The Pacific Coast Highway passed through some beautiful forest (“bush” in New Zealand) with lush tree ferns that reminded me a bit of the Big Island of Hawaii.

We drove onward to the town of Thames. We stopped at The Warehouse to buy our cooler (“chilly bin” in New Zealand), some blue ice blocks, paper plates and plastic silverware, and other picnic supplies. In the same shopping center was a Pak N Save supermarket where we stocked up on our initial supply of food. We also bought a reusable jute shopping bag for the groceries since the markets do not distribute single use plastic bags. That started happening in all of New Zealand on 1 January 2019. I had brought an initial supply of plastic bags with me, but it was so much nicer to have the reusable bags to store our picnic supplies in the car.

We found our lodging at the Sunset Motel and checked in. We had a room with kitchenette and private bath. After seeing what was available, we drove back to The Warehouse and Pac N Save a second time to buy another blue ice block and a bacon and egg pie for dinner. We found out that nobody sells block ice in New Zealand, and we did not want to rely on buying ice cubes all of the time.

Back at the room, we sat outside on the front porch and had our pie for dinner. Afterwards I walked out to the beach. There was a bird nesting site that was roped off. There were huge numbers of gulls and other birds everywhere! Later in the day we both walked out to the beach to watch the sunset.

Overall the day went very well and I was happy to get the initial traveling over and done with.

January 16, 2019

Today is the day! Heinrich and I are ready to start our 5-week trip to New Zealand. Our itinerary is to drive north to south, arriving in Auckland on the North Island and leaving from Christchurch on the South Island. The maps below show our intended route. Click on any map or photo in this blog to enlarge it.

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Key to map symbols used in this blog

• Purple Pins : Places We Stayed
• Gray Pins : Thermal Areas
• Blue Pins : Waterfalls and Thermal Features
• Orange Pins : Arches
• Yellow Pins : Landmarks and Other Places of Interest
• Black Pins : Special Locations
• Gray Line : Driving Route
• Green Line : Shuttle Buses and Boat Trips
• Red Line : Hikes

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My son Kevin drove us from our home in Westminster, Colorado, to the Denver International Airport at 3:15 PM. We checked in our luggage without incident, went through security, and rode the train to Terminal B where our gate was located. Since we both had global entry cards, we had the TSA Precheck through security which made it quick and easy.

Since we still had 1.5 hours before the scheduled flight, we rode the train to Terminal C and found the Timberline Steak and Grill restaurant where Heinrich had a credit card benefit: $28 per person for free food and drink. We were seated at a table fairly quickly. I ordered quesadillas, and we each had a beer. We could have ordered more but Heinrich was not hungry. Traveling tends to make him lose his appetite.

We left the restaurant about a half hour before we were scheduled to board the plane. We arrived back at the gate and found seats. Shortly afterwards a sign popped up on the screen that the flight was delayed by 45 minutes. We were not too concerned since we had a 3-hour layover in San Francisco.

We sat for another half hour. Suddenly the sign changed to say that the flight was delayed even longer. The plane was going to arrive in San Francisco at about the same time that our connecting flight to New Zealand was due to depart. This obviously was very bad news for us.

We walked over to the United Airlines customer service counter to find out what our options were. The nearest counter was closed, so we had to walk even further to get to an open counter. Fortunately there were only a couple of people in line ahead of us, so we were able to speak with someone fairly quickly.

The woman at the counter arranged for us to board an earlier flight. This one was also delayed because the problem was the weather in San Francisco. There were 50 mph winds and very few flights were being allowed to land. The woman told us that this flight would most certainly leave earlier than our original flight since it had an earlier scheduled departure time. Also, this flight was scheduled to land at the gate next door to the gate for the departing New Zealand flight, so if everything went well we should be able to get to that gate quickly. She also put us at the bulk head in the front of the plane so we would be able to get out quickly. We asked her what would happen if we missed the New Zealand flight. She said that we would be stuck in San Francisco for another day since United Airlines had only one flight per day to New Zealand, and there were no agreements with any other airlines to take passengers.

We walked to the new gate, which turned out to be directly across from the original gate. Then we had a long, nervous wait while we hoped to get the message that we could leave. Finally we were able to board. Once on the plane, we sat and waited again for another 20 minutes before we left the gate. It seemed interminably long. At last the plane took off and we were on our way.

It was a bumpy ride into San Francisco. The rain was pelting down. After landing we had to wait because there was no gate open for the plane. We sat for another 15 minutes. The guy sitting next to us checked his phone and said not to worry, they were holding scheduled flights from takeoff to wait for connecting passengers. Still it was very nerve racking. Finally we arrived at the gate, and we did get out quickly since we had the seats in the front. We ran to find our connecting flight. According to my watch we had about 2 minutes before the flight was scheduled to take off. We thought that the gate would be right next to where we had landed since it was the next gate number, but that was not the case. We had to go up a flight of stairs and over to a different section of the terminal.

We found the gate, and the woman at the counter smiled and said, “You made it!” We boarded the plane and found our seats. We were on the plane for about another half hour while we waited for more connecting passengers to arrive. I think we would have been okay on the original flight, but we certainly would have been even more panicked.

We just have to hope that our luggage made it onto the connecting flight. This was not a great way to begin the trip. But the good news is that now we are finally on our way to New Zealand!