Journal

Bon Voyage
Well, here I am with finally access to a computer and the time to fill in my journal.  So I've got about ten days to catch everyone up on.  Let's go back:  my sister Krysta kindly drove me up to T.O. Pearson and the weather was lovely.  It was a quick and a bit teary goodbye and then I was on my own.  I felt giddy and nervous. I checked my bags with no problem then went to my gate.  I was two hours early so I sat down and waited.  I pulled out my sparkling new Christmas presents: a Discman and a daily journal and the time flew by.  This was a good thing because the time to get from T.O. to New Zealand neared 20 hours....
Dinner and a Movie
My first flight was 10 hour long  direct flight to Honolulu, Hawaii.  It was about a half full flight, full of Hawaii bound Canadians.  I had a window seat, right above the wing, next to Jack, a miner heading for Sydney, Australia. Lovely chap.  We talked for about an hour, then he decided to find some empty seats to sleep in.  So from then on, I sat alone with plenty of room to stretch out in.  How can I explain how a ten hour flight is like to someone who has never done it?  After the first two or three hours, the time drifts by.  You sit and read, then they serve you dinner, which is often really good (I had calzone), then when you've finished that, the movie comes on and they dim the lights and you just stretch out under a blankie and watch, in this instance, The Thomas Crown Affair.  After the movie, the cabin is quiet except the hum of the plane engines, which are barely noticeable at this time, and sleeping passengers.  I drifted in and out of sleep.  I read some more. I listened to CD's.  I watched a meteorite shower over the moonlit Pacific Ocean.  And, before I knew it, the plane was coming down in Hawaii. Seriously, it's just that simple.
Stop in Hawaii
The layover in Hawaii was an hour and a half.  I stopped into the snack bar and got a juice.  The trick is to stay very hydrated during long flights, you see.  Then i sat down and fiddled with my computer and my lovely new game from Devin.  After a ten hour flight, an hour layover is nothing.  Before I knew it, I was on another plane headed for Nadi, Fiji Islands.  This was a six hour flight, which was just as quick.  I came into Fiji in the morning.  Has anyone seen Fiji? Absolutely gorgeous.  White beaches, blue-green ocean. Wow.  I'd like to visit it someday.  The stop here was the first time I felt like I was heading south.  It felt exactly like i'd stepped into a greenhouse. I stood and stared at the palm-tree covered hills for my whole hour stay.
Finally, New Zealand
Now, I was finally on the plane that would take me to NZ.  Three more hours.  The time was passed in jittery nervous-excitement.  I often would discover the smirk upon my face.  I don't even remember the flight.  Down in sunny Auckland.

Well, Happy New Years everyone! From the reports I've heard, it sounds like many of you had a pretty good time. Me too. 
I'm finding it really difficult to keep this journal going so sorry about that. I doubt anyone's sitting in anxious expectation anyway. So let's continue.  I landed in Auckland on a beautiful blue-sky summer day.  I was to meet Amanda's mum at Auckland International for a bit of lunch while I waited for my NEXT and final flight to Christchurch and at last Amanda. Well, got in line, got my passport stamped, got my luggage without a hitch, and was met by Amanda's mum, grandparents and her brother Andrew. Well now that was fun. Oh yeah I furgot, before I found them, I chased a santa claus down the terminal yelling for a lolly (Candy). I was hyper as hell.
I chatted it up with Amanda's (henceforth, AJ alright?)