New Zealand

     After twenty plus flying hours, who knows how many hour in the airports..... we finally arrived in New Zealand yesterday morning (Sunday, 10/11/09 1300).  At the LA airport ran into Jackyln Smith, you know from Charlie's Angels.  She and her daughter were traveling.  Anyway I didn't get much sleep on any of the flights.  The international flight was awesome.  It was a Quantas 380.  On the seat backs there was an interactive computer that you could play games, watch the news, incredible selection of movies and a sky cam attached to the tail of the plane.  Watching the take-off and landing was pretty cool.
     Everyone received all their luggage and cleared customs without any difficulty.  Apparently they are very strict in New Zealand... if you boots are dirty they can confiscate them, maybe clean them, and potentially fine you up to $600.  The Raytheon shuttles met us and transported everyone to their various hotels.  I stayed at the "So".  It is a couple of blocks from Cathedral Square.  The hotel is pretty "green" and very contemporary.  The rooms are incredibly small without any frills. To activate the power to the room you have to insert your room key into a slot on the wall as you enter the room.   The alarm clock is easy to set up with a gradual increase of light and a "mood" channel that comes up on the tv when it goes off.  The room also has mood lighting that you can choose the color when you turn out the lights.  When you leave the room the power automatically turns off.  Despite not having much sleep, I dumped my bags and hit the town by 1500.  Christchurch is really easy to find your way around.  Lot of stores but they were usually closed after 1500 on Sundays.  I caught up with Dick who joined me for an incredible steak dinner at a restaurant called "Mu".  I turned in early that evening, exhausted.

     This morning the shuttles picked us up  to take us to the CDC to receive our ECW.  (CDC:  not the center for disease control, but the Clothing Distribution Center, ECW:  Extreme Cold Weather gear).  The girls and boys were separated and we had to try on all our stuff to make sure it fit.  Everything is in mens sizes and not very flattening.  Lets hope its functional. The hardest part about all this is trying to figure out your "boomerang bag"/carry on bag.  Your boomerang bag includes stuff that you may need if the plane has to turn back to New Zealand because of weather.  You will be reunited with your luggage again some time in McMurdo. On the flight you are also allowed a "carry on" bag which should include your "boomerang bag" as well as part of your ECW.  You have to put on your ECW before landing.

 After returning back to the hotel to drop stuff off.  Mia, Dick, Eric, and I visited the Botanic Gardens where I took lots of pictures of flowers and green stuff in case I miss it at the pole.  From there Mia, Dick and I took a bus to the gondola which transported us up  to  the rim of a crater.  There was this ride that you could take through a darkened path, like at the carnival.  It was pretty boring and Mia thought the 10 year old host was possessed.  To make things interesting we would hop out of the car and stand in the display to take our pictures.  The top of the gondola provided excellent views of Christchurch, Southern alps and the harbor.  Lots of sheep on the hillsides. We hiked around up top for about 2 hours and then rode down and took the bus back to town.  We found out that evening that only a small portion of us were shipping out in the morning.  I was on the short list and most of the people I had met were spending some extra time here in Christchurch.  Mia and I enjoyed a Thai dinner and now I am washing clothes and trying to resort all my stuff and repack for Antarctica tomorrow.
     Once I settle down somewhere I will download some pictures of everything.