Part I

The day after the wedding we are quite tired and do not want to get up! Finally, we are up and around at 8:30 or so. Start scrambling to get ready for the trip - all kinds of last minute details. Friends and family stop by to say goodbye as they leave town. It's obvious we are busy getting organized, so no one stays for very long.

Gerald and Judy (Pam's parents) showed up to take us to the airport. All four of us packed into Pam's Saturn. Four people, a few suitcases and duffel bags. It was a tight fit. I suppose it's good practice for the long flight to New Zealand.

During the trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, the flight attendant offered us complimentary drinks when she learned that we were on our honeymoon. We both declined. She asked me if we drank and I said, "Yes, but not while we are flying." She came back a little while later with a full bottle of champagne to enjoy "when we got to our destination".

We were met at Los Angeles by Dan Heuschele & Chris Wilson. I had worked with them for several years at TRW (in San Diego). They were not able to make it to our wedding, and so had opted to drive up to LAX to visit with us. We had a good time. We were able to visit for a few hours, since the departing flight was slightly delayed. Finally it was time to go and we climbed aboard a westbound 747.

This segment of the trip was to take 12 hours and 45 minutes. Unfortunately, Pam did not feel well. About 1/2 hour into the flight, she dashed off to the bathroom and was sick. This happened again after the food was served. Needless to say, she did not enjoy the trip very much. Or, I suppose, to any extent whatsover.

I recall seeing the pre-dawn sunrise. It's really neat because you can still see the stars above, but there is a gold and red band on the horizon. Because the atmosphere is so thin at 38,000 feet, there is minimal dispersion of the light, which gives the scene incredible contrast.

An hour before we landed the lady from New Zealand started chatting with us. It was kind of tough to follow what she was saying because of the accent and background noise. She offered us some ginger crackers (referred to locally as biscuits) after she found out Pam wasn't feeling well. I was surprised that she surmised we were on our honeymoon, but she pointed out that our rings still looked shiny and new. (Oh. I was thinking maybe I had that loving, adoring, new-husband look. Which is not to say that I didn't.)

Finally landed at Auckland. No one clapped when we touched down - maybe that's just a custom when going to/from Europe. Then again, maybe there is a higher level of confidence in Air New Zealand. Either way, we were both happy to get off the plane.

Heading into customs, we endured the usual long line. On the plus side, we did get our passports stamped - it's getting harder and harder to find countries which do that (just try to get a European-Community country to stamp your passport).

Looking over their rules and regulations, we decided to declare our boots as environmental hazards. Since we had cleaned them in the bathtub (so they wouldn't get our clothes dirty) before leaving the US, the customs official opted to compliment us on our cleanliness and wish us a happy vacation.

The next order of business was to check the bags back in for the Auckland to Christchurch leg of the trip. I thought that by now we had missed our connecting flight, since the tickets we were holding said it left at 6:50. It is now 7:05. But, no, this is simply not true. The boarding passes said that we were on a flight leaving at 8:25, so we were ok. A rule of thumb I have is to not question things too much when they appear to be going my way. Suffering from jet-lag, I had absolutely no idea why it made sense to the clerk that we were in good shape for our next flight, since I was clueless. But then again, I don't need to understand.

Finally starting to relax, we changed some currency and set off to find breakfast. After the nasty, nasty pizza in Chicago, we were a bit more cautious as to what we would accept. Some blueberry muffins and coffee (or Diet Coke for some) did the trick.

We relaxed for a while, since the boarding area was right next to us. It said "All Flights - Departures". That's us! Finally, we could relax and not worry about being late. The sign was actually above the entrance to the secure area, so you couldn't see the actual gate area. It seemed more interesting to hang out where the coffee shop was and watch people walk past. At about 8:15 we decided it was time to head out and find our gate.

Although the coffee helped wake me up, it was nothing like what hit me when I talked to a guard at the entrance to the departure area. We are in the International Terminal. We need to be in the Domestic Terminal, on the other side of the airport, which can be reached via a short bus ride.

We ran (yes, ran) to the shuttle bus, then sat fidgeting nervously for a few minutes until the driver finally pulled out. A hard sprint through the domestic terminal and we reach the gate breathless. Of course, the flight is running 15 minutes late so we sat around waiting. It is safe to say that we are 100% awake and alert.

Arriving in Christchurch, we call for the Britz shuttle to take us to our home for the next few weeks. We learned that they didn't have our size available, so they gave us a complimentary upgrade to the 5-person unit instead of the two-person unit we were supposed to have. For contrast, the original model was sized between a mini-van and a full-size van. The upgrade put us into a true "RV". A skylight still needed to be replaced, so we had lunch across the street at the Anarctica visitor's center while we waited.

After lunch, we came back and got into the RV. Started the engine, and the diesel engine roared to life. Well, it made some noise. Our goal is to make it to Christchurch, which should take about 15 minutes. We are both very tired and just want to park somewhere and go to sleep. It seems reasonable enough to just drive a few miles and stop at a motorpark nearby.

It's worth noting that the RV is quite large. New Zealanders drive on the left-hand side of the road. I am sitting on the right-hand side of the truck (because that's where the steering wheel is), so I have to shift (manual 5-speed transmission) with my left hand. It's quite a bit to absorb as I am trying to deal with jet lag at the same time. My goal is simple - keep the RV intact and ourselves alive. In case we only succeed with the second goal, I have maximized the insurance available for the RV. Deep down inside, I figure it's a 50/50 wager that the RV will be returned in the same condition it was when I took posession...

I pull out, turn left and start down the road. Pam is calling out directions. About 200 yards away, I enter my first traffic circle. Things do not go well - what am I supposed to be doing? Where did that car come from? Why is this RV so amazingly underpowered?? Some might say that I panic. The first road which allows me to get out of the circle becomes an acceptable solution to this problem, and I get out of there in a hurry. Not wanting to return (quite yet) for another go at it, I ask Pam what road we are on. More important, is there any chance it might go somewhere interesting. Christchurch was the goal, but perhaps that's not REALLY where we want to go tonite. We are in luck. I have taken Hwy 1 North, which is the only way to head up the coast. Yes, I believe that will work. Let's head north and see what lies in that direction!

A little while later we pull into Kaiapoi for some groceries. A few interesting items about the grocery store. First, they don't really have refrigerated cases the way they do in the United States. Instead, the entire room is refrigerated. All the milk, eggs, cheese, lunchmeats, etc. are in a large refrigerated room. The doorway consists of plastic strips hanging down, and is open to the rest of the store.

There was one refrigerated case in the main section of the store worth noting. Pam walked by it and saw these things that looked like oversized sausage rolls. They were labeled "Dog Rolls". In horror she realized that this must be one of those countries where they eat dogs. She came running over to me to tell me of her discovery. I had seen the same case, and explained to her that it was food for dogs, not food from dogs. We started laughing pretty hard, which drew quizzical looks from other folks in the store.

After one more stop for a case of beer, we depart the town. Heading north the country is very beautiful. Today is gusty, and the RV is somewhat difficult to keep on the road. Have to keep remembering to stay on the left-hand side of the road. Only one car has had to get out of my way because I tried to revert back to the American set of rules. Didn't seem to bother the other driver as much as one might think it should.

	Aras standing next to his prized RV.
	A view of the interior.  Note the more than ample headroom.  Once I got used to driving this vehicle, I was very happy about the free upgrade.

We finally stop at a small town called Cheviot. It's interesting to note that although there are only a few thousand inhabitants (allegedly), it appears on world maps. We are tired and find a small campground. Small is the key word - there are 4 powered sites.

I learn that the small building nearby is a converted jail. The owner of the park has added some glass and repainted it, and now it is a two-room motel. It's actually looks charming. You can still see where the prisoners had scratched up the wood. I pause to wonder what kind of crimes would be taking place around here, but couldn't come up with anything serious. Driving on the wrong side of the road, perhaps?

Pam goes to sleep around 8, so I head out with my camera for some pictures.

I bump into Dave, who is from California. He is biking around the south island. We decide to walk up the road a bit as he tells me things to do for our vacation. "Of course you'll be stopping in Kaikoura", he says, "There is some great whale-watching and swimming with the dolphins".

"Of course we are. No trip to New Zealand would be complete without a visit there." I make a mental note to figure out where this Kaikoura place is.