View from an airplane

Off to the Wild Blue Yonder

My wife is on her round the world trip and will be in New Zealand through Christmas and New Years. So we planned for me to come down and meet her. So again the frightened-of-flying guy is getting on a flight again. This time it will be the longest flight I will have ever been on, even when I was flying. This will be two flights about 11 hours with a long connection in Hong Kong.

I am connecting in Hong Kong from Frankfurt to Auckland. We found a flight on Cathay Pacific that gives me a day layover. I land in the morning and leave again in the night. So even with the transit time into the city and back, I get 8 hours to explore the city and meet a few twitter friends(Connie and Juno). This should be great for several reasons:

  • I have never been to Asia, so I will be able to check that off and get a taste of it.
  • A full day layover should help blunt the effect of sitting for so long on those flights.
  • Ali recons that I will be so exhausted after a flight and a day of roaming that I might sleep on the second flight despite my anxiety. Hoping!

Then Ali and I have more than two weeks in New Zealand exploring. We will be Christmas in Queenstown, New Years in Christchurch and a number of things in between. We are heading to an overnight trip to Milford Sound with Real Journeys and a trip up the coast to the glaciers. So mostly South Island, but back up the North Island for Rotorua and Auckland. No worries, many posts on this stuff will be forthcoming.

So I fly off to my next adventure in a few days. I’m slowly getting over my fear of flying. I still hate doing it, but not on the flight yet and not freaked ahead of time. The next weeks are all set up with posts so the blog will go on as I experience more neat things to write about and most importantly more pictures to show.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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13 Comments

  1. Andrea
    December 24, 2011 @ 11:06 am

    Have a blast!! Let us know which beer you liked the best =)

    • Andrew
      December 29, 2011 @ 11:51 am

      Thanks. So far the favorite is a cherry wheat beer called Lady from a small brewery in Wanaka.

  2. Heather
    December 23, 2011 @ 8:13 pm

    Travel safely and Merry Christmas to you both!

    • Andrew
      December 24, 2011 @ 8:56 am

      Thanks. Merry Christmas from Queenstown.

  3. Jeremy Branham
    December 22, 2011 @ 5:35 am

    Ali was telling me about this trip earlier. I am sure you saw the comments but man has she changed you! 🙂

    Did you ever imagine you would be on a plane taking a trip like this? There’s so much more of the world you can see. Good for you for conquering your fears. I just hope “Andy on an airplane to NZ” doesn’t mean the world is coming to an end! 🙂

    • Andrew
      December 24, 2011 @ 8:55 am

      No, I am at the ends of the earth, but not yet the end of the world. I guess I just needed the right motivation and I found simply the best one possible.

  4. The Honourable Husband
    December 21, 2011 @ 3:27 pm

    It’s fantastic to hear this news, for so many reasons.

    For me Hong Kong = food. Eat, eat, eat! It’s all great.

    New Zealand is extraordinary. I once was the best man at a wedding in Wellington, and we stayed at the bride’s family home in Taupo/Rotorua. If you want a “Swingers” moment, try the driving range in Taupo where you hit the balls onto a green in the middle of the lake.

    Love to both of you from Masa and me.

    • Andrew
      December 24, 2011 @ 8:52 am

      Hong Kong was fantastic. Dim Sum and noodles were what I ate and they were indeed fantastic. My camera ate the pictures of the dim sum unfortunately. Maybe I can recover them later.

      Thanks and Merry Christmas.

  5. Gillian @OneGiantStep
    December 21, 2011 @ 3:20 pm

    Good luck Andy! You can do it…just keep thinking of meeting Ali at the other end. It helps me to think of when I see planes taking off, landing and flying that they all look so smooth and in control…I imagine all the people on board being relaxed with cocktails in their hands. Maybe a cocktail would help? Merry Christmas to both of you!

    • Andrew
      December 24, 2011 @ 8:50 am

      Thanks. Did 2 LOOOONG flights yesterday and day before. Both went ok. Ali and I just did a jump from Auckland to Queenstown and I almost(!) enjoyed it. The sights of the mountains were amazing. Merry Christmas to you as well.

  6. ian in hamburg
    December 21, 2011 @ 10:41 am

    Enjoy New Zealand! My grandfather was born in 19th-century Rotorua and I’ve still never made it.
    And do make the most of your Hong Kong flash-stay. Still not been back after nearly 15 years. I’m looking forward to your impressions of both.

  7. Amanda
    December 21, 2011 @ 9:28 am

    Have fun!! Can’t wait to see what you two think of NZ. 🙂

    • Andrew
      December 24, 2011 @ 8:47 am

      Thanks. Just got back from Mount Bob in Queenstown. This is a pretty cool little town.