Sara dropped me off at DIA about 2 1/2 hours prior to departure. We said our goodbyes and I made my way to the ticket counter to check in. American only had 2 people working and the line was pretty long so that took a while. I was worried that my huge bag would result in an excess baggage charge, but luckily it was ok. A few people behind me in the security line was Michael Travis, drummer extraordinaire for the String Cheese Incident.
Our flight to LAX was delayed by almost an hour due to the freezing rain that had overcome the Denver area. The de-icing of our plane is somewhat symbolic, I suppose, given that once we finally arrive at McMurdo we'll be landing on an ice runway.
Our tickets said we'd be boarding the flight to Auckland at 7:30 Pacific Time, but they were about 45 minutes late getting that started, and then once we finally pushed back from the gate one of the air conditioning units went out on our Boeing 747. The air conditioner repair man was apparently on the absolute opposite side of the airport, so by the time we got there, got patched up, and back to our runway I swear we had taxied most of the way to San Diego. We finally got into the air a little over 2 hours late. No problem, what's another 2 hours when the flight is 12 1/2 long?
The 747 is a 3-4-3 seat configuration, and I was on the aisle of the middle section. Luckily there was nobody next to me because these seats are designed for someone 5'2". The guy in front of me reclined so far back that my face was no more than 6" from his scalp and he stayed that way the entire 12 1/2 hours.
Aside from the lack of leg room, the Quantas folks sure attempt to make your flight comfortable. Each seat is equipped with a TV that has 13 movie channels and as many music channels, including a James Morrison Jazz Station, which I listened to for many hours. The consoles also house a variety of video games including my favorites, Solitare and Tetris.
They gave us a sleepy time pack, which is a little pouch on a lanyard that contains a beauty sleep mask, a pair of socks (wuh?), and a mini toothbrush with toothpaste. You know it's going to be a long flight when they give you a toothbrush. At dinner I asked for a beer (they're free, you know), and the Australian flight attendant rattled off about 6 different Aussie brands. I must have looked dumbfounded because he smiled and said, "I'll bring you back a nice beer from Queensland." It was a "XXXX Bitter" and it was tasty enough that I ordered a second :-)
I was able to get a little sleep in short spurts, but not much. Most of the flight I read the new Al Franken book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. (Highly recommended by the way). I also found the highlights of the 1999 Rugby World Cup quite entertaining.
Due to the delay getting out of LAX we missed our connecting flight in Auckland. We took our time getting through customs, I got my first passport stamp ever, and we headed towards the Bank of New Zealand to exchange some US cash for some Kiwi cash. The exchange rate is roughly 1.54 Kiwi dollars to 1 US dollar, so for $60 I got over $90 Kiwi in return. The domestic terminal at Auckland is a one kilometer walk, so I sherpa'd the bags and enjoyed the beautiful New Zealand weather. It was great to get some fresh air. The Quantas people pulled a few strings, made a phone call, dropped the term "Deep Freeze" as they referred to us, and we were able to get on a flight to CHC right away. Had we not made that we would have had to wait another 4 hours in Auckland.
The flight from Auckland to Christchurch was just over an hour -- nothing by now for us seasoned travelers. The New Zealand scenery is breathtaking. I was on in an aisle seat but couldn't stop looking out the window, as the entire countryside looked either like Lord of the Rings or The Price of Milk.
