One Week

I can't believe December is half over and I leave
for New Zealand one week from today!

More folks have come forward to share their NZ travel
experiences with me and I am grateful for the knowledge.
As a result,I feel very confident about my intinerary and
how to best spend the precious time I have there.

As it stands now, I will fly into Auckland and spend the day
exploring the city until my evening flight to Christchurch
(now referred to as ChCh). ChCh marks the beginning and ending point
of my clockwise route around NZ. I'll be there three days,
including New Year's Eve before setting out on the open road.

My intinerary is a loose one but here are some of the highlights:

-Hiking and Camping at Mt. Cook
-Wildlife viewing in the Otaga Pennisula
-Kayak/Camping in Doubtful Sound
-Backcountry hiking throughout Southern Alps
-Swimming in mountain lakes
-Climbing Fox/Franz Joseph Glacier
-Some cliche adrenaline junkie/tourist activity
-Fly fishing
-White water rafting
-Kayak/Camping Abel Tasman
-Bike tour of Marlborough's wine region
-Hamner Hot Springs
-Whale watching, surfing and dolphin swimming in Kaikoura
and much, much more.

In the next 7 days I will pack up my house, move all
my belongings into storage, pack for NZ, finish up
the last of my massage appointments, celebrate the
holidays with my family, take care of loose ends and
then depart for the airport. Needless to say it's
going to be a busy week.