Busrides, Matamata, and Wellington

Lindsey Holdren

The eagle has landed!

Bedraggled, exhausted, cranky. And oh so relieved. The weary family of travelers steps off the plane after an overnight and harrowing ride. My mother sums up our familial relief at being released from the confines of airplanes and breaks out the quote of the day:

Mom- “My ankles were so swollen [on the flight]. I looked like JaJa. JaaJaa?”

Me- “Jabba?”

Mom- “Yeah.”

Me- “Ok…. He doesn’t have ankles.”

Welcomed with a Middle Earth sign and faux-Dwarvish gateways