Welcome to New Zealand, but we'll check you out first

Just arrived in Auckland, New Zealand and greeted by customs officers who did a more than thorough check of all my baggage and possessions. Luckily, I escaped having to drop my trousers and the full body search - phew!

It was an anxious moment as the officer pulled out a strip of paper which has some chemical property that is able to identify traces of drugs. A worrying thought... had I brushed past anyone while I was in Bangkok or earlier where traces of drugs could have transfered to my bag and worse... could drugs have been planted at any point during my travel.

In such situations this this we always tend to think of what could be worse... being accused of drug trafficking in Thailand was one of them! Still, these NZ guys were fairly rigorous...

My computer bag and luggage holdall were turned inside out... seams examined closely, pockets, clothes, all my CD's and DVD's were investigated and examined using a computer. I was asked all sorts of questions designed to intimidate... like, "This is your last chance, are you absolutely sure you are not carrying illegal substances?" to which I replied, "no" - I was then presented with a form as a last chance opportunity to declare anything I shouldn't have.

After determining I wasn't carrying anything illegal, nor was I trafficking any drugs, I was able to re-pack all my belongings and continue my journey towards Christchurch on the next available flight - having missed the original flight.