New Zealanders (Kiwis) are warm, courteous, friendly people. But I'm ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.

Karen came home for Spring Break but we only spent a couple of days with her. She drove us to the airport Monday afternoon, February 28, 2000. Saturday evening Richard and I redid our NZ itinerary for the umpteenth time, this time cutting down on all the activities we had planned. The itinerary was too busy. We didn't want to rush through everything in the 13 days we had allotted.

Day One: Our flight began from Florida aboard a Delta 757. This may be a modern plane but it is definitely NOT my favorite. Seats are so narrow you better like your neighbor, or you are in for a horrid flight. At 5'2" I had just 4 inches of space between my knees and the seat in front. The seat felt like cushioning was left out and I was sitting in a well that pitched me forward. Five hours of this and I was tired before the Pacific end of the trip began. Which may have been a good thing.

As we checked into the airport in LA for the crossing, the NZ attendant checking us in told us that Barbara Streisand was onboard. We never saw her, but boarding was held up while "someone" from their special waiting area was ushered aboard.

The Air New Zealand 747 we flew gave us leg room, wider seats, and head cushions with sides that bent inward so we could rest our heads and sleep. Each seat provided a pillow and blanket and came with an adjustable footrest, even in tourist class. Each meal came with wine, red or white (if you wanted it), actual silverware and glasses, and gourmet meals. Movies were shown throughout the flight for the insomniacs. There was also a GPS trackingsystem (shown between movies) that indicated our global position. I was awake when the GPS showed us crossing the International Dateline.

I watched "Anywhere But Here," "For the Love of the Game," and in the morning, "Archie Grey Owl" with Pierce Brosnan as an Indian. Richard had a credibility gap and didn't watch it but that gap was explained in the end. Very good movie.

Day Two:We skipped Leap Day. When we crossed the International Dateline, we jumped from February 28th to March 1st. We arrived in Auckland at 5:30am. The airport looked just like the images in Mercy Mission (Scott Bakula movie). First, we went through customs, then caught an Air New Zealand 737 to Christchurch on the south island. Richard and I again slept on this flight, waking up just before landing to catch our first glimpse of the Southern Alps.

Day Three:We arrived Wednesday morning around 8 in Christchurch, got our luggage and took a cab a short hop to the Maui rental for our campervan (an excellent way to travel the south island because there are plenty of campsites, even in the remote areas). Next came the supermarket to get some groceries.

Campervans (RV's) were quite different in NZ (aside from the steering wheel being on the wrong side of the vehicle [grin]). Our van had a linoleum floor (which I liked - easier to clean), ran on diesel (noisy  no soundproofing under the hood), and had less storage space then on American vehicles. It was also 7ft shorter than we usually rent in the USA.

A small problem - we couldn't get a whole lot of food in the frig. It was teeny. The freezer only held 2 bags of veges. We rented the 4-person van, which gave us a bed above the cab so we didn't have to raise and lower the table each night (the 2nd bed area). The 2-person van was similar to a converted Volkeswagen Bus in size.

We both prefer camping to staying in motels. The campervan reduced the number of hours spent waiting in restaurants so there was more time to tour. However, it did take getting used to the toilet. Our campervan was equipped with a glorified potty, similar to those used in tents. In the States, these  are true toilets with running water and drainage.

After unpacking, stowing our luggage under the van, and shopping, we drove back to the airport to tour the Antartic Centre. The main feature of interest was a room set at -5c. We put on warm coats and rubber overshoes before entering. A fan inside, blowing at maximum, simulated the wind chill factor. From there, we drove back to Christchurch and spent most of the afternoon shopping for souvenirs. We parked near the boathouse along the Avon and hiked through the outskirts of the Botanical Gardens on our way downtown.

I did the driving in Christchurch while Richard navigated. We drove out of town to the gondola ride. At the top of the mountain, we ate dinner in a restaurant overlooking the town of Lyttleton. I was told that this gondola was longer and higher up than the sister operation in Queenstown. The gondola was all enclosed and held 4 people. We had one car to ourselves. We could see down into the crater of a dead volcano that is now a lake and island. We could also see Christchurch in the distance.

I ordered a local Canterbury pinot noir with my excellent dinner of lamb rump wrapped around apple and garnished with mint and crusted herbs. Richard had cannelloni with a huge plate of steamed veges (Kiwis do not call them vegetables and they spell them veges, not veggies). Richard and I shared a bowl of Italian tomato soup that was a bit spicy but very flavorable. For dessert, we shared a Meyer rum chocolate cake. Portions were way too large to finish.

The gondola trip down was after dark. The cities spread below, a blanket of light. That night we slept very soundly.

Day Four:Thursday, March 2nd we woke late, near 10. After breakfast, we drove back to the boathouse in Christchurch to take a punting trip on the Avon. Punts are the British version of Venice Gondolas. They are flat-bottomed boats that are poled, not paddled. The punters were dressed in white, outfits typical of the late 1800's.

Walking to the boathouse, a man stopped to ask us about the campervan. He had an accent which I took to be British but turned out to be American with a New Zealand twist. He was from San Diego, in NZ for the Americus Cup races. Since the Americans lost early on, he said he was rooting for the New Zealanders (they won). He intends to rent a campervan next time he comes to NZ. He was the only American tourist we met durig the entire vacation. All the other tourists were from Europe or Asia.

We sat on the bottom of the punt on cushions, our backs supported against the deck. It was totally relaxing. I brought bread along and fed the ducks that swam to the boat for food. The hardest part was trying to get out of the punt gracefully. It can't be done. I was so relaxed after this trip my legs didn't want to work.

After the punt, we walked through the botanical gardens nearby, carrying a lunch I packed on the campervan. The gardens covered serveral acres so there was a lot of hiking. The variety of flowering bushes created a riot of color wherever we turned. We ate on the banks of the Avon, amid a group of ducks and gulls.

That afternoon we began our first drive, down the east coast toward Oamaru. We thought we would just park, eat, and sleep, but after checking in we learned that the penguins in the area only come ashore after dark. We drove to the beachhead to watch a yellow-eyed penguin come to roost at a great distance. These birds are shy, solitary creatures who value their solitude. We only saw two from a blind.

Our next stop was a short distance away, where we paid a small fee to enter. The area was lighted. The fee went toward the preservation of the penguins, so we didn't mind paying.

Just after dark, the first of the blue penguins came ashore. These are the smallest known penguins, standing just 12 inches tall. The atmosphere was circus-like with spectators in the bleachers and lining the bank. No flash photography was allowed. An announcer set the rules over a PA system, telling us where to look and how many birds to expect to see.

Shortly after the PA announcement quit, the first birds came ashore as if on cue. The crowd was quiet. Three birds at first, then larger groups spread out over an hour and a half. They came in with the waves, then toddled ashore and up the bank along a penguin trail. Some stopped to preen along the way. Since it was moulting season for them, their feathers itched.

Eventually, all made their way up the trail or up the rocks to cross the gravel road and roost on the other side. They gathered in rocks, nooks and crannies. Those already roosting called to the others. One little fellow came in very close to the crowd, and actually headed toward the bleachers, before veering for the grass. It was overwhelming to be so close to these beautiful and wild birds. We finally got back to the campsite around 10:30 and crawled wearily into bed.

Day Five: Although we've had some sun each day, late afternoon clouds would appear, so we hadn't seen the stars. That was disappointing because I knew it wouldn't feel like I was in the Southern Hemisphere until I could see them.

I awoke about 5am knowing that this morning, the stars would be visible. I opened the door to look, then woke Richard. We threw on some clothes, grabbed the binoculars, and rushed outside. Crux (the Soutern Cross) was in the south near Alpha and Beta Centauri. The whole Milky Way was displayed. I saw several open clusters with the binoculars but not Omega Centauri, the Magallanic Clouds or Tucana 47. A new crescent moon sat low in the west, Venus not far from it.

Viewing was short - maybe half an hour - then dawn began spreading its light. Before we went back inside for some more sleep, I saw a couple of meteors - something I haven't seen in Florida skies for years.

When we finally woke again at 9am, we dressed and drove on to Dunedin to catch the Taieri Gorge Railway tour we had booked in advance. On the way, we stopped at a beach to view the Moeraki Boulders, which were natural boulder concretions. Our hike took us down a cliff to the beach so we saw the boulders from the bird's eyeview and close up.

The railway station is considered an outstanding example of Edwardian architecture. Almost every building in NZ is adorned by beautiful flowers. The traincar we were in had plush cushioned seats facing each other across a table. Before the train pulled out, I unpacked our luncheon and we ate. Later, I ordered tea from the snack car and it was brought to me on a tray. The tea was in a silver pot (no dangling teabag strings). The cup and saucer were china and the silverware real. Sugar was served in a sugar bowl - no paper packages - and a small pitcher of cream finished the service.

The ride was interesting through rugged mountains, sheep, thoroughbred farms, across viaducts (NZ word for train bridges) on up to Pukerura. Then the engine was driven on a separate track to the rear of the train for the return trip. On the way to Pukerura we made two stops where people could get off the train and cross bridges for photo opportunities. We camped on the Otago Peninsula.

Day Six: Saturday, March 4th. The drive to the Albatross Colony on Otago Peninsula was magnificant. The peninsula is the most beautiful area so far. We camped last night at Portebello, about halfway to Taiaroa Head, the location of the colony. Each turn in the road was another spectacular view of mountain, water, fishing village and beautiful sky. As I was driving, I asked Richard to take some photos for me.

The colony itself was a bit disappointing as there weren't many birds still nesting and we saw no birds on the wing. The wind was too calm. It was a steep walk up the hill to the blind. There were maybe 5 active nests with 3 fledglings in single nests, no parents around. Two nests had a sitting parent. The birds weren't moving much.

We did see a colony of Stewart Island shag, some in pied phase and some black. We were told this group represented most of the species, which was a bit shocking. We also watched a 10 minute film on the Royal Albatross, a bird that spends 70% of its life at sea. It has  a wing span that measures 9 feet at the max. The body of the bird is about the size of a pelican.

Driving back through the peninsula, we stopped at a scenic spot for lunch and took more photos, but the lighting wasn't as interesting as the drive in. When we again hit the mainland, we turned south and west toward Te Anau (Te ah na ow), the gateway to Fiordland. The journey took us across open, windy plains. There was some sign of sheep and deer farming. New Zealanders raise deer, mostly for export, but venison is available at restaurants. We ate dinner at Baileys in TeAnau and both of us tried the farm-raised venison. Richard had it marinated while I had it grilled in a warm salad. I think this is an acquired taste. It was good, but I didn't want to have venison any more during the trip.

Our first activity when we pulled into the Mountain View motel (campervan and tent sites included) was to get our reservation for Milford Sound straightened out and to get tickets for the 8pm TeAnau Caves tour. The main attraction of this cave is glowworms. These are the larvae of an insect - the adult of the species is seldom seen. When the larvae is hungry, the chemicals in its intestines glow with a bluish light. The hungrier it is, the more it glows. We took a boat across Lake TeAnau to the caves. The lake was calm, the boat wide and fast, and the trip pleasant.

The cave was limestone but too new for stalagmite-type formations. It was still very actively being formed with water rushing through, sometimes bringing huge round boulders from the mountains. Portions of the cave had no path so we were ferried short distances in boats with seats lining each side and holding 12 people. The boats were moved along by our guide pulling us across using a stationary overhead wire. Then we walked, crouching low in several spots, to another boat that took us deep under the mountain to see a chamber of glowworms. There was no light in the chamber except for the glow and we had to be very quiet so as not to disturb them. There was no photography allowed.

Richard and I fell asleep on the boatride back across the lake. When we woke and exited the boat, we got our best glimpse of the Southern skies and it was spectacular. There weren't enough lights around to destroy our view of the Milky Way. We saw both the large and two smaller Magallanic Clouds, Crux, Orion (which was upside down, the sword pointing up instead of down. There were so many stars in Orion, it was almost difficult to see the main constellation! We were seeing magnitude 6 and possibly 7 stars!! Richard and I agreed that the skies were even more brilliant than we had seen in Hawaii.

Of course we had to bring out the binoculars when we got back to the campervan. The Great Nebula in Orion was crystal clear and took up most of the binocular field of view. I thought I was even resolving some individual stars in the Larger Magallanic, but that may have been only nearby stars that I was seeing. We watched a satellite cross the sky east to west, the opposite direction from in the Northern Hemisphere. I watched one meteor blaze across the sky and it was visible for a couple of seconds - long for meteors.

It was hard to break away for bed but it was past 11 and we had to be up by 6:30am to catch the bus for Milford Sound the next morning.

Day Seven: Sunday we caught the bus at the appointed time. The coach was well-glassed with CLEAN windows and we were the first passengers aboard. We sat in the first seat on the left (driver on right side of bus) and had total visibility.

Milford Sound, including the coach trip from TeAnau, is everything people said it would be.The only negative was biting flies at the dock and we wore bug spray so they weren't a problem.

We passengered on the Wanderer, a masted vessel holding 80 people, rather than the Red Boat which can hold about 350 people. Also, the Wanderer was a longer cruise. We had more opportunity to view falls, seals, and formations close up.

It was mostly overcast. This was a very rainy area so we did not expect to see the sun. The clouds added drama to the day, so low that the mountain tops pushed above them. The waterfalls were numerous, ranging from volumnous cascades to pencil-thin trickles. Mitre Peak appeared as a green mound near the boat dock.

Returning to TeAnau, the coach stopped along the way for photographs at several points of interest, then Richard and I fell asleep until the driver gave the wake-up call. That evening we cooked spaghetti dinner, did some more star-gazing, did laundry, and showered off the bug spray before bed.

Day Eight: It rained most of the night. We slept late and took a hike near the visitor's center in TeAnau to see native birds at a small bird park. The trek up and back was almost better than the park - lots of song birds that could be easily seen in the trees. We crossed a broad, park-like area and a South Island fantail captured my attention with its antics. It darted close to me, checking me out. A New Zealander told me these are very curious birds and they like humans.

Leaving TeAnau, we drove to Queenstown. This is the tourist capital of NZ with a Disneyland feel and lots of hair-raising activities - bungy jumping, white water rafting, jet boating - that kind of stuff. In winter time, it becomes a skiing mecca. But Queenstown is still a smallish village.

We ate dinner at "Memories of Hong Kong" and were served an authentic Chinese meal. The appetizer included fried squid, which was very good, BBQ pork, fried wonton, and a chicken roll (like an eggroll). We ordered the seafood pot (it came with mussels still on the shell and whole prawns), fried rice, and to begin, a corn and crab soup in a chicken stock. The jasmine-flavored green tea came at the end of the meal along with ice cream and fruit with whip cream on the top. This was the feast for two, but it was way too much food to finish. Everything was good. As a matter of fact, we didn't have a bad meal at any restaurant we tried in New Zealand.

After dinner, we shopped a bit and I bought some layered opal pieces.

Day Nine:

We left Queenstown around 1pm after visiting the Kiwi Birdlife Park. This was a must-see because of the kiwi house. Kiwi are nocturnal birds so to see them, we had to enter a darkened house with simulated moonlight and wait several minutes for our eyes to adjust. There were a pair of kiwi. I spied them by the movement of their beaks, their dark bodies blending very effectually into the background. What surprised me most about the bird - I was picturing this pigeon-sized creature and these birds are closer to turkey-sized.

On the way out of town, we found the bridge used for bungy-jumping and spent some time there. Bungy-jumping began in New Zealand, off this very bridge. We walked the bridge (which was built in 1880) and photographed the jumpers. Not something I would ever consider doing, even in my most insane moments!

The drive to Haast was more scenic than expected. There were many turnouts and photographic opportunities. We camped in Haast, about a 20 minute walk from the beach. We had to trek through a paddock (pasture) and take a turnstile (a step device over a barbed wire fence) but when we got to the beach, we were the only ones on it. The beach was covered in driftwood and mist, a scene out of Avalon. We walked along, taking numerous photos, pausing all the while to enjoy the landscape. It was getting dark and time to return to the campsite. Not quite ready to abandon this place, Richard and I sat on a driftwood log to watch the sun set.

Day Ten: Wednesday, March 8th. Last night the sky was full and bright and we tried to take some photographs. Believe me, the stars are there in the photographs when you click on them.

It was the only time I used a tripod. The digital movie camera Richard was using had the ability to take still photos, so he was capturing star patterns as well.

The morning was colder than previous days and felt in the 40's to me. Our view out the back of the camper was of a grassy area to the fence and road, mountains in the south, lots of small birds in the bush, clouds over the mountains, and blue sky in the west.

Breakfast consisted of honey and jam on bread. The Manuka honey, claimed to be medicinal. It was thick like honey butter, not liquid.

Our next stop of interest was Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. Fox came first. We hiked to the foot of the glacier across boulder-strewn, desolate land to find a river flowing out of an ice cave. It was overcast. There was a front moving in, so we couldn't take the helicopter flight. We decided to drive on to Franz Josef and camp for the night.

Day Eleven: Thursday. Our first glitch of the trip. We just reviewed the ferry tickets and the crossing was set for today at 1:30pm! There was no way we could make this crossing. Somehow the crossing date stayed as Thursday instead of moving to Saturday and we never caught it.

We slept late (for us) waking at 8:30am. After showering, I checked with the camp owner about a helicopter flight for the morning and lucked out, getting us booked on a 10am flight. We broke camp and drove to the helicopter office.

Our flight was over spectacular scenery of glacial peaks. We flew by Mt. Cook (the tallest in NZ), and Fox glacier. We landed on Franz Josef for a walkabout and it was definitely crystal ice that we landed on, not snow. We spent several minutes on the ice. I aimed my camera into the sun for some dramatic photographs.

From the glacier area, we drove on to Ross, a gold-mining town, and hiked up one side of the mountain and down the other for a look at the historic areas including an old cemetary and a miner's cabin. Gold was discovered here in the 1850's not long after Sutter's Creek in the US.

We continued our drive, not stopping at Hokitika (where I would have liked to browse the craft shops) and on to Greymouth. A quick stop in the town around 5 then back in the campervan until we came to Punakaiki. Here we stopped to see the Pancake Rocks and blowholes, a great walk.

We were going to camp in Punakaiki but couldn't find the campgrounds, so we drove on to Westport before finding a campsite. It was already dark.

Day Twelve: Our last day on South Island. Last night, before finding the campground, we drove out to Cape Foulwind (by accident) and stopped momentarily to watch the birds of the area. As I opened the camper door, a curious bird nearly hopped up into it. This was a weka and the New Zealanders call them "cheeky" (their word for a bit on the 'devil-may-care' side). As a tourist, I found them charming, intelligent, and very inquisitive. These are flightless birds, but they are doing well compared to the kiwis. They're not the least bit fearful of humans. I never once saw a child chase into a flock of birds to make them fly. New Zealanders are very eco-conscious. Several of these birds came out of the bush to have a looksee at us.

While I started breaking camp, Richard called the ferry people and they got us rescheduled. If we could make Picton tonight, they could get us on the 9:30pm crossing. They also booked a campsite for us and Richard paid in advance with credit card.

Back in the US, before our trip began, I got several hundred dollars in travelers' checks. I came home with the same amount. They don't take them in NZ. But my ATM card (VISA checking) is good at their machines so when I ran out of NZ cash, I just got some more from the machine! Travelers' checks are becoming obsolete.

The ferry straightened out, we drove back to Cape Foulwind to see the seal colony. My wekas were still there, along with red billed and black billed gulls (2 separate species), and I fed them bread,  The gulls took the food in the air. The wekas gathered at my feet, looking up expectently and I obliged by popping a morsel into their open beaks. I'm sure the bread isn't the best food for them but their behavior showed they were used to being fed by humans. I guess the wekas are similar to pigeons in that respect.

A short hike brought us to the seal overlook. I thought the hour was too late, that they would be out to sea. Instead there were several females and young pups on the rocks below and we watched for quite awhile before continuing the hike partway up the mountain. We were going to take a look at an historic observatory, but were concerned about the time and turned back before reaching it. We did discover a sign pointing in many directions with the kilometers to each of the major cities. New York is closer to NZ than London, which is almost exactly half way around the world from NZ.

When we left the area, we drove straight through to Inanguhua where we bought gas and sandwiches from a lovely lady with whom I had a great chat. She just got on the internet seven months ago and we exchanged email addresses.

We ate our sandwiches at a roadside park, then drove on to Picton. Here we ate dinner at a local pub (I had excellent lamb chops). While most New Zealand restaurants are on European standards (they will not bring the check unless you signal them to - they consider it rude), this place was just the opposite. You found your own table, then went to the bar to order your food. You paid for the food when you ordered it and it was brought to your table when ready. Since tipping is not the norm, we ate at our leisure and left when we were ready, then queued the camper in line for the ferry. I had some time to read and make a journal entry.

We had a late crossing - 9:30. Around 8 all the cars next to us moved out of the lane while we sat. Ours was the first campervan in the row. I wondered why we weren't moving and around 9:15 someone got out of a campervan behind us to ask that question at the queue window. Richard stopped him on the way back and we learned that the cars had been loaded on an earlier vessel that could make the crossing of the channel in an hour and a half. But that ferry only took cars. We had to wait for the larger interislander. When we finally drove our campervan onto the ferry, I was stunned at the size of it.

There were 6 decks. It was 150 meters in length (487.5ft - longer than a football field) and was one of a handful of vessels like it in the world. It was built in Spain in 1998. The Aratere can carry 60 railcars, 20 tractor/trailer trucks, 100 automobiles plus another 30 cars in the lower cargo hold. We had to exit our campervan for an upper deck that housed a video room, a restaurant, a store, a theatre, private rooms with small desks, lounges, and all the luxuries. After about 20 minutes, I asked Richard when the crossing would start. I was told we were already moving! It was that smooth.

When we landed 3 hours later and drove our campervan off the ferry, we followed the directions to the campsite on a small map, but after a roundabout, we pulled over thinking we were lost and heading in the wrong direction. A car pulled in front of us, backed up, and a driver got out. He walked to Richard's side (he was driving) and said, "you're trying to find the campgrounds, right?" Richard replied in the affirmative. "It's too late for you to be wandering around lost," the man said. It was 1:30am. "Follow me. I go right by it on my way home." I could not believe his kindness! When we got to the turnoff street, he honked, blinked his lights, pointed, then drove away. Even following him we weren't sure we were going to the right campground, but it was. We found a spot, parked, and fell into bed.

Day Thirteen: Saturday. This was mostly a drive day to get from Wellington to Waitomo. After just a few hours sleep last night, it was a tough drive. We stopped a few times for photos and food but that was it.

Our hope was to go to bed early. Like the penguins, that was not to be. When we arrived at our campgrounds, we were told that there was an interesting glowworm hike that we really should take. And it was. The worms clung to trees, leaves, and rock formations near the Aranui canvern. We walked with flashlight (torch) to see our path, then arrived at an area that had a lot of worms and doused the torch. The worms grew brighter as we stood and watched. It was hard. Lots of people knew about the walk and came along, noisily and with torches, causing the worms to dim. Some children shined their torch directly at the worms. Curious, I know, but it dampened the effect. The stars were still spectacular, even on the north island, as we turned for home and sleep.

Day Fourteen: Today we chose to tour Aranui Cave instead of Waitomo. Waitomo is the famous glowworm cave of NZ. They also have black water rafting - they give you wetsuits, tubes, and helmets with lights and you tube through a cave filled with water, over some waterfalls, all with a guide and all in the dark except for your headlight. We chose not to do this because of the fear factor and time. But Aranui was a great experience because the cave was primative in the walkways. We were also allowed to take photographs and that was a thrill. Many places do not allow photography.

After Aranui and lunch, we decided to hike the glowworm walk in daylight. Quite different. This was a very cavernous area and there were lots of "tiny" caves that the trail led through. Finally, it was time to drive the 2 hours to Auckland to turn in the campervan. I called my friend, Jo, and she came to get us. Richard and I would spend the night and next day at her house. Although this was our first meeting, Jo and I had been email friends for a couple of years. It was great to finally get to meet her in person.

Jo served us dinner at her home and introduced us to her two cats. After dinner, she took us downtown to the harbor where we rented water taxis for a tour. Our taxi guide pointed out all the famous yachts berthed there (they were in for the Americus Cup races that had just ended) and the dollar value and ownership of each yacht. Most of the yachts were in the  $30,000,000 range, and were at least 100' long! We went back to Jo's for dessert and bed.

Day Fifteen: Monday, March 13th. Our last day in New Zealand and I was sad. I did not want to leave this wonderful place, not just yet. It was ending all too fast for me.

Jo's mum came over for breakfast and joined us to visit the gannet colony. This was a very "wild" and windy beach area, hard on both birds and people. We saw one gannet trying to coax a dead fledgling to life. It was very sad.

The wind blew such that we could smell the birds as well as see them. There were many parents and young hatchlings. I'm not sure of the statistic, but I think I read that 60% of the fledglings wouldn't make it to adulthood. Although the winds made it easy for fledglings to take flight, they also made it very difficult for the birds to land and they had to go great distances for food. Not an easy life for them at all.

After the gannet colony, we returned to Jo's for lunch, then her mum left us and we spent the afternoon packing. Richard and I wanted to take Jo out to dinner, our thank you for her hospitality. We ate at a restaurant that had sidewalk tables and chose to eat outside. Just a block away, they were filming an action scene for a TV show starring New Zealand's leading male actor. There was no crowd watching and Jo told us that actors in New Zealand do not attract the attention that American actors attract in the States.

After dinner, we went to the Tower downtown. This is a sister to the CN Tower in Toronto and is just a wee bit taller. It even has the glass floor like Toronto's.   This was Jo's first venture into the Tower. She doesn't like heights, so we felt honored that she would do this for us.

The evening over, it was time to get our suitcases and head for the airport. We said good-bye to Jo and thanked her again for her warm hospitality. I did some final duty-free shopping, we boarded our plane, and again slept as much as we could flying home.

We arrived in LA with an 8-hour layover before catching the red-eye to Orlando. If I had this trip to do over, I would stay overnight in LA and take a morning flight. Getting through customs was not a problem and getting from the airport to the train to Redondo Beach (where we thought to spend some time and eat dinner) was not a problem. However, at the end of the train ride, the world screetched to a halt. The beach was too far to walk. There wasn't a bus or even a cab in sight. We waited 45 minutes for a bus that never came and wound up getting back on the train and returning to the airport.

We ate dinner at the Encounter Restaurant. This was built in the 60's and had a futuristic look to it. The food was excellent. I had a house salad and seared Ahi tuna and Richard had pork chops. The bill was $70 for the two of us! Very pricy, without wine, but the food, as I said, was excellent.

The last leg of our trip was the Delta 757 and this was the worst leg of the journey. Even though we had an empty seat between us, the seats were so uncomfortable I never could sleep!  But we made it home safely, arriving around 7am. Our first chore of the day, after getting in the house, was to drop everything and stagger into bed for a good sleep!