New Zealand wrap-up

Well, it's about an hour to go before I fly out to the U.S. I'm in the Qantas Club in Auckland, catching up on emails, and getting a few things organised for next week. Today is a looong day of travel. I started at 4:15 this morning in Queenstown, having had just 2 hours sleep. Seven hour drive from Queenstown to Christchurch, send-off lunch and hug session with Saj, Gretel, and Stephenie at Christchurch airport, quick flight to Auckland, three hours at the Qantas Club in Auckland, then I fly to Los Angeles, and connect through to New York. All up, I think it'll be a 32-hour day. Here's hoping I can get some sleep on the long flight across the Pacific.

My week in New Zealand has been absolutely incredible. The mountain scenery is absolutely stunning - snow-capped peaks for miles around, beautiful sunsets, and shimmering lakes. The snow is impeccable - over a metre deep at The Remarkables, awesome powder which made for pleasurable skiing. I don't know how I've survived all these years putting up with the Australian ski-fields. New Zealand is in a class of its own. Of course, the experience was complemented by the fact that I was staying in a nice hotel, dining out for breakfast and dinner every day, and sharing the experience with three of my closest friends.

Now it's off to New York to begin a new chapter in my life. This will be the first time I have ever *lived* overseas. It should prove to be a very interesting, and hopefully rewarding, experience.