one week to takeoff

Next Wednesday evening we depart for Auckland.  Until then our local weather forecast is for rain and more rain.  Par for the early spring course, and makes me long even more for scenery like above.

I just scanned a New Zealand weather website and it wouldn't appear that balmy temperatures are in store, but should be pleasant enough. Chilly evenings on the South Island. Hope we can shed layers of clothing as we progress northward, if only so I can wear the spiffy new lightweight t-shirt (polyester/wool) I bought at MEC yesterday.

Our itinerary goes something like this:
Arrive Auckland April 6 (Good Friday)
Fly to Christchurch April 8 (Easter)
South Island April 8 to April 18
Fly to Wellington April 18
North Island April 18 to April 29 (fly home from Auckland)

Thanks again to Gary for permitting me to post another of his 2006 photos.  I believe this one was taken near Picton, in the northern part of South Island.  This is the background on my work computer; a nice antidote to our dreary Vancouver weather. Original photo is here.

Countdown to departure T-9

Welcome dear readers! This is as good a time as any to reactivate this blog and start forming the habit of a daily entry. I'm in Vancouver Public Library central branch, which has very slow wireless access. Good prep I s'pose for New Zealand's notoriously dodgy wifi.

Looking forward to this trip very much, although ten days out (departing evening of April 4) I feel a bit underprepared. Still, we do have the first three days fairly well blocked out. First two days we'll be with friends-of-friend in Auckland - a lovely American family I met briefly at the end of my last New Zealand voyage. They travelled in on South Island earlier this year, so we look forward to their insider tips. We fly to Christchurch at noon on Easter Sunday, pick up a rental car on arrival, overnight approx. 85 km away in Akaroa. Our first night in a holiday park cabin and good chance to see how my sister Estelle likes that accommodation option.

Since I spent my entire time on North Island last trip, I'm very much looking forward to seeing the South Island. I don't even have too many memories from my first New Zealand trip (1983) as I didn't spend much time there. We were under deadline, as I recall, to get to Te Anau for a booking to hike Milford Track. (we made it, the trek was gorgeous, weather was perfect)

Today I'll sign off by thanking my friend Gary for the lovely penguin picture above, taken on the Otago Peninsula (South Island) in 2006. (original photo here)
We'll be on that peninsula fairly early in our trip and hope to see some yellow-eyed penguins too!