In the Auckland airport...only 20

In the Auckland airport...only 20 hours until we are home. Fever's gone but head congestion makes flying fun. Who needs to hear?!?

Heading Home Soon

We're back in Queenstown and fly out tomorrow--arriving in Atlanta at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday...a long day of travel for sure.

We're exhausted. Hiking a glacier and "tramping" (i.e. hiking) around the country has worn us out. I don't think we know what a relaxing vacation is. [Note the photo to the right is not ours, but we had a similar experience. Just haven't uploaded our photos yet.]

We're staying at the Sofitel in Queenstown tonight though and are so glad that we picked a luxurious spot to rest before our day-long travels. It's certainly a beautiful country and we look forward to sharing a small selection of photos soon. We'll spare you the 3,000 or so we must have taken by now.

Scott's so excited: 3 Lotus

Scott's so excited: 3 Lotus cars in our hotel parking lot (in Te Anau)--60th anniversary tour.

Milford Sound was magnificent! Last

Milford Sound was magnificent! Last night's rain & snow made great waterfalls today. To top it off, we saw a couple penguins in the wild. No pics

I (Dana) have been running

I (Dana) have been running a low fever since yesterday-a max of 100.3 but more commonly around 99. Nothing a little ibuprofen won't alleviate.

Ahh...after an 8-hour bus trip

Ahh...after an 8-hour bus trip with frequent stops in scenic towns, we're in Queenstown. If we had more time, Wanaka would be worth a visit.

Today we are hiking Franz

Today we are hiking Franz Josef glacier--a moderate half-day hike. The weather is fine as they say here, aka clear and sunny.

Yesterday's drive to Christchurch was

Yesterday's drive to Christchurch was incredible--snowcapped mountains on one side, blue-green ocean crashing against black rocks on the other.

Blenheim continued

Last night, we ate in our apartment--visiting the local grocery store for basics: pasta, sauce, salad, bread, muffins, cheese, crackers and sparkling water. They don't use pennies here, so they round off the grocery totals. It was the first we'd seen that done since we've been here.

Our apartment is very cute with great views of the vineyards (a 5-acre block of pinot noir). Today, we'll visit a few wineries...most likely Allan Scott, Grove Mill (because it has a frog on the label and is the 1st CarboNZero winery here) and finally Highfield Estate (where we are staying). Our apartment is the upstairs of the building wing to the far left in the photo above.

We also plan to stop by Makana Confections to see chocolates and other sweets being made...and, of course, to sample a few things as well. Yum!

The Marlborough wine region is gorgeous with acres and acres of vineyards stretched across the plains and gorgeous mountain peeks. And the sheep are absolutely adorable.

Tomorrow, we head to Christchurch--driving along the eastern coast through Kaikoura where we'll likely stop for lunch. Scott has pretty much mastered driving on the left side of the road...except for confusing the blinker and windshield wiper switches since they are on the opposite side of the steering wheel than in the U.S.

Blenheim is gorgeous! We're staying

Blenheim is gorgeous! We're staying at the only apt. at Highfield Estate-a beautiful winery where we have wonderful views of the vineyards.

Yesterday's weather was perfect for

Yesterday's weather was perfect for a walk. We trekked to Mudbrick winery for a tasting then ordered a cheeseboard and enjoyed the harbor view.

Scott proposed last night-I said

Scott proposed last night-I said yes! It was a perfect end to a very romantic and delectable dinner at The Boatshed. It's truly an idyllic place.

Limited Posting

Unfortunately, my BlackBerry doesn't have e-mail or Internet access, so our posting during this trip will be limited. The phone on the BlackBerry does work as does my personal phone and the corresponding text messaging feature. The last two posts were made via text message, but I wasn't sure until today whether they actually transmitted.


Naturally, my text message posts will be more abbreviated since I don't have a QWERTY keyboard. I don't have the patience to scroll through numerous letters to form sentences. So look for fuller updates when we are back and/or if we find time to connect to the Internet at our various hotels as I didn't bring my laptop either.


So, with those disclaimers, on to our travel updates...


We're still in Auckland for a couple more hours before heading over to Waiheke Island via a 30- to 40-minute ferry ride. We're staying at The Boatshed--a bit of a splurge, but I couldn't resist the cute little boatshed accommodations. There are only 3 boatsheds, 1 lighthouse room and 1 bridge suite, so it's a very intimate little place.


The weather here is in the mid 60s Fahrenheit and very breezy. It's been sunny most of the day with intermittent spurts of rain. Apparently, that's very common. We've spent the past two days walking through the city center. As you'd expect with an urban area, there are plenty of American standards--Starbucks, McDonald's, Borders, etc., but there's a university nearby, so that provided fun people watching. Gray and black are certainly the colors of choice here.


Amidst our walking around, we visited Sky Tower, which was an easy way to check out the city from all angles and to rest our weary feet. We didn't partake in the bungy jumping. The height alone was all the thrill I needed.


Yesterday, our day began with a visit to Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter. It's essentially an aquarium and was a good way to spend a couple of hours yesterday although it's certainly very small compared to what we've visited elsewhere especially the Georgia Aquarium in our own backyard. But there were penguins and sea turtles, which certainly kept us amused for a bit. Kelly Tarlton's is located on Mission Bay, which is a very beautiful neighborhood (what little we saw of it) with gorgeous homes located on a hillside overlooking a blue-green bay filled with sail boats and a clear view of the city center (and its skyscrapers and Sky Tower). We took a cab there from our hotel (the Auckland Hilton), which is very conveniently located on the waterfront in the city center. It's made walking and catching buses (and soon a ferry) a breeze.


After taking a bus back to the city center from the aquarium yesterday, we visited the Ponsonby neighborhood, which is very cute--lots of Victorian houses and bungalows and a long street (Ponsonby) lined with clothing and housewares shops as well as bars and restaurants. It's a bit like Virginia-Highland, but more upscale like Buckhead or Midtown.


We ate at the Belgian Beer Cafe yesterday, which is essentially at the top of the hill and then strolled along Ponsonby popping in and out of stores and window shopping. We've been content to do much of nothing as we adjust to the time difference. I have slept quite a bit although I haven't felt much jet lag when I've been awake. Scott, on the other hand, was rather foggy headed yesterday, but seems to have acclimated today.


Well, that's about it for now. Look for further updates soon.

Test

Test

We have landed in Auckland.

We have landed in Auckland. It's early Thursday.

1/3 of the way there

Having arrived at the ATL airport around noon, I'm estimating that we're a third of the way through our trek to New Zealand. I feel a bit more rejuvenated after a quick meal and some extra strength Excedrin. In a few hours, I'll counter that with Excedrin PM to try to get some sleep on the flight.  We're set to arrive at 5:15 a.m. local time in Auckland.

Because we flew Delta to San Fran and are taking Air New Zealand to Auckland, we had to check in at the international terminal to get our boarding passes. For anyone taking this route, know that it's an easy but fairly lengthy walk from the domestic to international terminal--particularly if you're tired and/or have heavy carry-on luggage (which fortunately we did not). We could stand to stretch our legs prior to boarding our 13-hour flight.

On the plus side, our checked luggage was automatically transferred to the plane, so we didn't have to pick that up or re-check it. Be sure to keep your boarding pass and baggage claim stickers handy so the ticket agent can verify that your luggage is in transit.

The international terminal is beautiful--incredible architecture. I was astonished at how desolate both the domestic and international terminals were when we arrived since it was only around 6 p.m. local time. The security line was a breeze.

Once you go through security, there are only 3-4 dining options: Mexican, Japanese and one or two sandwich shops. If you're looking for other options, stop at one of the spots between the domestic and international terminals.

We're boarding now. More when we land in Auckland.

In preparation for our trip to New Zealand (we depart in just over 24 hours), I bought a new piece of luggage because I'm checking luggage for the first time in forever. The combination of our lengthy trip, our varied activities and the cooler weather made it too difficult for me to fit everything into a carry-on, so I'm breaking my own cardinal rule and checking luggage this go around.

During my quest for a great bag, I came across the following five other eye-catchers that are now on my wish list, even though I have plenty of luggage for the moment.

• Diane Von Furstenberg "Hearts 2" Luggage Collection - I'm not usually one to like hearts, but the black and white version of this collection with its green accents really appeals to me. In fact, I can't stop thinking about it. I have bag envy!


• Liz Claiborne Brooke Collection - This preppy, plaid luggage could be a luggage staple while still sticking out on the baggage carousel.


• LeSportsac "Lexie" Laptop Tote - I love the big bold pattern on this laptop tote.


• High Sierra "Level" Luggage Collection - The right shades of green (and orange) always draw me in. In fact, a significant portion of my New Zealand wardrobe is made up of various shades of green.


• US Traveler San Marino 4-pc. Luggage Set - Spice Orange - I'm not sure what came first my love of Auburn (University) or my fascination with the color orange. Either way, this spice orange luggage set available at Target is worth checking out.

Trip Preparation Continues

As planned, today was filled with more trip preparation. There's always plenty to buy at Target. I did pretty good at sticking to trip basics and putting blinders on to block out all the other stuff that I could have put in my cart.

In addition to hitting Target and Old Navy, I did some last minute online transportation booking for our Milford Sound cruise and buses between Greymouth and Franz Josef and between Franz Josef and Queenstown.

All seems to be squared away, so now I'm focused on packing. Ahhh, the fun process of weeding through the clothes to widdle down the contents of my suitcase. I sure don't want to be lugging it around the country for 2 weeks. It's a good thing Scott has been lifting weights in preparation for his job as my personal steward when I start getting tired.

Getting ready for New Zealand

We're set to depart for New Zealand on Tuesday, and I'm beginning to get very excited! Up to this point, I've been focused on work, work, work to get ready for the next three weeks. While we typically take one "big" trip every year, this is the longest vacation I've ever taken.

With the work week behind me, I'm now focused on packing and any necessary last-minute shopping.

I'm not looking forward to the flight, but I've heard great things about Air New Zealand, which will hopefully make the 20+ hours of travel a bit more manageable. We're flying through San Francisco on the way to Auckland and through LAX on the way home. As I've told most everyone at this point, it essentially takes 2 days to get there and 2 hours to get back (taking into account the time change and travel time).

Our itinerary includes Auckland, Waiheke Island, Blenheim, Christchurch, Franz Josef Glacier, Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford Sound. I'll aim to post at least once from each location, so keep an eye out for photos and a quick synopsis of our experiences in each place.