12 November, 2001

After quite a long series of airplane rides and airport layovers, I have finally arrived in the beautiful country of New Zealand. When the customs official stamped my passport, a question came to mind, "If this is NEW Zealand, where is the OLD Zealand?" The first European explorer to set foot on this island nation was a Dutchman named Abel Tasman. Upon landing, three of his crewmen were killed, so he did not stay long. However, he did label this land Niuew Zeeland, after the Netherlands province of Zeeland. Since I just arrived in New Zealand, there is little for me to report. Therefore, I am going to sign off and resign to a much needed good night of sleep.

River on Avon (Christchurch, New Zealand)