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Chicago couple Shauna Gardino, 31, and Dimitri Acosta, 32, were reunited in the arrivals lounge at Auckland International Airport after research scientist Dimitri spent 10 weeks in Antarctica researching ice-covered lakes. They plan to holiday in New Zealand for Christmas.
Auckland Airport is the scene of thousands of welcomes as Kiwis return to spend time with their families at Christmas. We present some of these magic moments.
Where have you travelled from today?
Shauna: I came from Chicago.