Marilyn and I are sitting at gate 31 waiting for our boarding call on Hawaiian Airlines Flight 445. We’re exhausted!

And excited, or at least I am. I will get one of those big hugs from Annie girl in less than 24 hours.

The prelude of my travels is now complete. I enjoyed my time in Arizona with my aunt and uncle, cousin, and friends. It was very restful and pleasant. I was able to tie up some loose ends on projects and shopping that were hard to get done in Chicago, while enjoying the company, the weather, and the scenery. I even saw javelinas, ugly little boar-like creatures, wandering around the premises in Tuscon. We had a pass to the Marriot pool and spa area, which was an added pleasure.

Last Sunday Marilyn and I spent the day following her son around Disney’s California Adventure on my Disney Main Pass card, a benefit of John’s employment at ABC/Disney. Duncan guided us to the best Fast Pass lines and shows, using our limited time there to the best advantage. It was great and relaxed, though we walked miles.

On Monday morning we flew to Honolulu and began our two day adventure on the Big Island. We were still adjusting to the time changes so we were pretty low key about our time there, but had ample opportunity to enjoy the beaches and the area. This was part of a promotional program that we purchased last spring. It included two “free” nights in Waikiki and was still a cheap fare to New Zealand. Hawaii was bright and sunny most of the time, really relaxing and pleasant.

And now, Wednesday afternoon, we are ready to board our final flight to New Zealand. The prelude is over and the real adventure begins.

I, for one, am happy to have unloaded my two suitcases at the Bag Drop Off area. I still feel like a beast of burden carrying my computer, carry -on, and “pillow.” We probably walked another mile or two through the Honolulu airport, in and out as we made our way to the gate.

So, just in case you’re interested, here is our itinerary for New Zealand.

1) Leave Wednesday, Oct 28, 2:20 pm. Crossing the international dateline we lose a day and arrive in Auckland at 10:30 pm on the 29th. We’ll check into a hotel by the airport and try to get a good night of sleep before navigating the roads (left side) in the Juicy rental car that we’ll pick up on Friday morning.

2) Friday, October 30th. Our first stop may be a detour to Devonport, an island town off of Auckland. There is a quilt store there. Then we’ll meander our way to Cambridge where Annie will be completing her work day/week, joining her at the church where she works.

3) Friday night and Saturday (30/31) will be mostly a relaxed time of hanging with Annie and maybe some of her youth. I imagine there may be some Halloween activities.

4) We want to attend church with her on Sunday morning (November 1) and then maybe start taking a few day trips on the North Island. I have a list of the places I’d like to visit and the activities I want to do. Anne doesn’t usually work on Monday so maybe she will accompany us and show us some of her favorite places. Beaches, hot springs, kayaking on Taupo, are a few of the things on my list (Nov 2, 3, 4) On Wednesday night, we will go to Dojo, Anne’s youth group, to see her at work.

7) The next morning, we return to Auckland early to begin a 5 day adventure (Nov 5-9) on the South Island with Anne. Queenstown, Fiordland, the Bruce sheep farm in Gore (pretty close to the bottom of the island.) We’ll visit with James’ folks for a couple of days and then spend a day driving to Christchurch where we’ll catch an evening flight home. Anne says it is a beautiful drive.

8) On Tuesday, Nov 10, we’re tagging along as James takes the ABS group surfing in Raglan. Anne says that will make James happy because he is “gutted” about not seeing much of us. Ha!

9) We leave late Thursday night/Friday morning (November 13th 12:30 a.m) so we probably won’t plan much for those few day post-South Island.

10) And then we fly home, gaining a day before landing in Honolulu for a short stop before our flights to LAX and then Chicago (November 13, 5:30 am.)