Kia Ora (Hello)

Because of my position as webmaster for IPWSO (International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organization), Susan and I decided to attended the international conference in Christ Church. This was one of the greatest experiences of our lives and we hope to visit New Zealand again in the future.

It was a 11+ hour flight from Seattle to Auckland, but the flight was smooth and the attendants were very nice to us so it went relatively fast. The taxi van with trailer took us to our hotel which ended up being five blocks from the waterfront, 8 blocks from Auckland University and had a three person bungie ride across the street in a lot that was ready for construction. Remember, this is the birth place of most of the extreme sports.

It was really funny when the first day I turned to Susan and said this felt like home and she said she was feeling the same. The differences here in Auckland were that Asians seem to be the majority, Sushi was served everywhere and it was not as tall as Seattle. We found the people were friendly and the scenery was magnificent.

The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and we found them to be very friendly, physically big and strong (male & female), and are quick to smile and laugh. In the Maori language, New Zealand is called Aotearoa, which means "The land of the long white cloud".