WOW! We leave tomorrow!

From Phil: Wow, we leave tomorrow. The last week has been a whirlwind of activity. The four friends have learned a lot about proper packing from books and especially from friends who are experienced travelers. The best advice is that since no one else will see you on consecutive two days, no one will realize that you're wearing the same shirt. Most of the homes we'll be staying in have washers and dryers, so we'll do fine with just a few changes of clothing. Because we have never been away from home for so long, we have arranged for a house sitter. Dianne has provided a long list of instructions and useful tips for care and feeding of our house rabbits, especially Mr Snoopy.

So, with our passports, airline tickets and baggage, off we go tomorrow, hoping for a smooth journey. We are not looking forward to the long flights so much. We fly from Sacramento to LAX, where we will have a five hour layover before our connecting flight to Nadi, Fiji. While we're waiting, we hope to meet with some friends for dinner. We leave LA about 10:20 PM bound for Fiji which will take about 12 hours. We are prepared with some pharmaceutical assistance for sleep if needed. We have a 4.5 hour layover in Fiji, and then on to Auckland. Once there, we hope to make a connection for a tour of the city and then make our final flight to Christchurch on the south island. Once in Christchurch, Ed and Colleen have arranged a car for us from "Jucy" rentals, which we will pick up hopefully before midnight, and then find our way to a warm bed for our first night in New Zealand.