Brandon O'Brien

Sunday, December 1, 2019 @ 10:00 PM in 2019 New Zealand

Day 8/9

We needed to be at the airport a little before noon today so we could get checked in and ready for our flight back to LA. Rather than try to make food at the hotel, we went to a coffee house where we had some coffee and pastries. After that, we did a final grocery run to buy some snacks to bring back to family and friends. I bought some Tim Tams which my mom ended up loving when we brought them to Christmas.

The flight was uneventful and we made it back to LA in the morning. Sam and I opted to stay an extra day in LA to unwind from the international trip. We ended up taking the metro up to Pasadena where we had some Himalayan food for lunch. After that, we went pretty close to where she grew up and walked around for a while before taking the metro back to the hotel and passing out a little early. We did walk around the hotel area and got dinner at a hole in the wall asian place. Our flight back to New Mexico was bright and early the next morning. Fortunately we were a stone's throw from the airport and didn't need to worry about getting there on time.

All in all, the trip was extremely fast but we were able to see and do a lot. New Zealand was a beautiful place and definitely one I want to go back to. The culture and landscape are both extremely impressive and it's worth a visit if you get a chance!

Tags: new zealand, los angeles, honeymoon

Posted from: United States

Friday, November 22, 2019 @ 11:50 PM in 2019 New Zealand

Since Sam and I booked a separate flight to LA from the one leaving LA to New Zealand, we wanted to make sure we landed in LA with plenty of time in case of any delays or issues. Our flight landed first thing in the morning (6:20am) in LA, so after getting out of the airport we set off toward Manhattan beach where we ate a huge breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House. After that, we set out to walk along the beachfront for most of the morning. Unfortunately it we weren't able to drop our bags off at the airport so we had to carry our luggage with us while on the beach.

We made it all the way down to the Redondo Beach Pier where we had a snack at the Shrimp Lover before starting our walk back north. We aimlessly walked around until Mike and Anne were done with working and met up with them at the Hermosa Creek Brewing company for some beer before dinner. For dinner, we ate at Palmilla Cocina y Tequila where we had some nice Mexican food.

Our flight didn't leave until almost midnight, but we figured we'd go ahead and hang out at the airport since we had no where else to be. We finally boarded our flight and got settled in for the long haul direct into Auckland!

Teaser photos:

Walking around in LA

On the flight (with a couple randos in the background)

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Tags: new zeland, los angeles

Posted from: United States