NZ immigration officer said to me "welcome home!" at Christchurch Airport

The first time when I arrived at Christchurch Airport in 1989, immigration officer stoped me and treated me as a suspicious person.
It took me a long time to go through immigration.

There were not many Japanese tourist in New Zealand then.  New Zealand was getting very popular and a well known country  among Japanese after year 2000.

One other time, I was stopped and kept by an immigration officer in a room for an hour when I come back from Australia.  I was told off, "how long did you stay and work there illegally!!?"

No matter how I explained that I was just 1 week away from New Zealand to see my husband's sick mother, they did not believe me at all, because they did not have any  record of me leaving New Zeland a week before.

This matter happened also around 10 years ago.

Just recently when I come back to Christchurch Airport, I was very nervous to go through immigration.

The officer was not smiling at all, too serious a face.  But after she
examined my passport, she put a stamp with big smile and said to me "welcome home!"

I smiled back to her with tears in my eyes.