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Thread: A dream vacation........

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Lewiston, Idaho
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    A dream vacation........

    In 1999 I met a fellow employee while in class in Milwaukee. At the end of the 3 week class, the 3rd guy in our lab group said if he didn't know that the other guy and I had grown up on opposite ends of the earth, he'd have sworn we had grown up as next door neighbors and were best friends. His first name....Ken..his homeland....New Zealand....and thus Kenny-boy as we refer to each other and I have kept in contact since.....exchanging Christmas gifts etc.

    In June of 2007 while visiting my youngest son and his beautiful wife, they informed Sharon and I of their intended gift to us for our 40th anniversary which was Christmas Eve 2008. Their generosity I still find overwhelming and initially I considered rejecting their offer of a 12 day trip to New Zealand. Sharon finally convinced me that I'd break their hearts if I rejected it. It was a matter of priniciple to for me. What little we have.....we have earned. I can lay my head on my pillow at night and sleep well. I've supported myself since age 15 when I started working on oil rigs for my father and paying rent to my parents. I finally agreed and the planning of a dream anniversary celebration trip began. Our lovely DIL and youngest son did all the planning with input from us as to what tours, and events we wanted to attend. It was a dream trip...I lost a piece of my heart in New Zealand. We will return.

    Here's a brief....city by city and event by event log with a few photos of each place and event......
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 01-06-2009 at 10:21 AM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    He's ALIVE..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh yea.....Welcome Back Ken!!!
    Thanks & Happy Wood Chips,
    Dennis -
    Get the Benefits of Being an SMC Contributor..!
    ....DEBT is nothing more than yesterday's spending taken from tomorrow's income.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Indianapolis
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    I'm glad you had a great trip! Oh, and welcome back! Sorry, but I didn't see the log and photos or a link to them.
    ________
    Ron

    "Individual commitment to a group effort--that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
    Vince Lombardi

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    On Dec. 19, 2008 Sharon and I crawled to Spokane, WA. A snow storm that came in on 12/17 and 12/18 had dropped another 23" of snow and all the the airline flights schedule for the 18th had been canceled. Some of the morning flights on the 12/19 were cancelled but the afternoon flights made it out. It took us 4 1/2 hours to drive the 110 miles. We ran into a major traffic jam about 4 miles south of the little town of Colfax, WA. It took us 1 1/2 hours to drive the last 4 miles into Colfax. Why? Washington State Unversity and University of Idaho had let out and the traffic lights in Colfax had traffic backed up 4 miles. The snow had been plowed into the 2 inner lanes reducing traffic to 1 lane in each direction.

    We finally checked into a Super 8 near the Spokane Airport. The next morning at 0430 with temperatures at a reported -15º F, the shuttle took us to the airport. After a 5 hour delay due to aircraft flight computer problems they brought another plane in from Oakland, CA. The original plane was supposed to come from Portland BUT...the next storm had hit the coast and Portland was closed due to ICE. We were sweating blood!

    Arriving in Oakland 5 hours late, of course, our conecting flight to LAX had departed hours earlier. We watched fellow passengers from Spokane immediately get seats on a plane to LAX that was boarding and yet it took nearly 35 minutes and 2 agents to get Sharon and I on the same plane. Sharon was nearly in tears! We get to LAX and we have to transfer baggage from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. OF COURSE, our baggage didn't make it!

    We left the airport and had dinner with Sharon's brother and significant other and when we returned a couple of hours later, our bags were there ....we checked them through to Auckland, NZ and our luck was changing! At 1100 pm that night we flew out on Air New Zealand and our adventure began.

    If you have never flown on ANZ, you are in for a treat. Shortly after takeoff, they served us a meal...you have a choice of main dishes. It's a 12 1/2 hour flight....the seats while not business class were larger and more comfortable. About 2 hours out of Auckland they served us a real breakfast.

    Photos......in the next post......
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 01-04-2009 at 12:37 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  5. #5
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    You have to know what traveling is like with my wonderful wife. I accuse her of taking one bag for each day of the planned trip. 12 days......well..it wasn't quite that bad but....she had 2 collapsible bags inside one of her bags. She had through a slip of the tongue while on the phone with some family members mentioned she'd managed to save several thousands of dollars to buy souvenirs.

    We arrived at the Auckland, NZ airport on the North Island and we cleared customs but only after Sharon chased a NZ custom agent down and demanded the first stamp in her newly acquired passport. We had to drag our bags (max free number, of course) from the International terminal to the Domestic terminal...a distance of about 3/4 of a mile. Enroute we had our first "Sharon" experience. She noticed some palm trees ( a fetish of hers) with some pretty flowers growing between them. She drops her bags and starts opening one shouting at me 40 feet away......"I have got to get a picture of this"......a New Zealander walking by in the opposite direction says to me with a smile in passing "It's going to be a long holiday Mate!"....

    PC210010.jpg

    We finally boarded a domestic ANZ flight and flew to Christchuch where my friend Ken met us along with the Limo driver who had a card with our name on it. (Did I mention my DIL though a pharmiscist, would make a wonderful travel agent...and she's beautiful, intelligent, and well-educated?) Ken had left a hospital where he was working long enough to greet us and he and his wife would meet us later for dinner and drinks. We took the limo to the resort where the kids had booked us. A NZ PGA resort....our room over looking a small lake.....along the 18th fairway....incredible! Our bags were delivered to the room by a consierge.......incredible! I could tell by the smile on Sharon's face that staying in a Super 8 would never be the same again! We quickly showered and I shaved. We dressed for dinner.

    Ken picked us up at the hotel later and gave us a wonderful driving tour of the Christchurch area.....took us up to the top of a mountain where we could see the surrounding Canterbury plains and the bays coming off the Pacific ocean....gorgeous view! Later that evening his wonderful wife met us for drinks at a bar on the beach and then we went to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants...."The Lone Star"....Yup we are eating in a bar modeled after a Texas style bbq place. Ken introduced me to Speights Gold Medal Ale! I asked for it the next 9 days and felt let down when I couldn't find it. Exellent beer....smooth...not bitter.....smokey flavor....very nice! We returned to motel as we had to be ready for pickup the next morning at 0500 for a hot air balloon ride.

    DSC_0012.jpg
    DSC_0015.jpg
    PC210051 (2).jpg

    Now I'm married to the "Camera Queen". She took a Nikon DSLR, a Olympus digital and a Canon camcorder. She only brought 37 GB of memory for the still cameras. She only shot a little over 20 GB. Yes I will post photos.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 01-03-2009 at 7:50 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  6. #6
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    Wow...I'm gonna enjoy this thread! What a wonderful trip, Ken!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    Ken

    You're off to a great start. I can't wait for the next chapter.
    Mike Null

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  8. #8
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    Ken Welcome back! Your just in time for our 1 millionth post!
    Dewey

    "Everything is better with Inlay or Marquetry!"


  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Welcome back Ken! Glad you had a safe trip! Already hooked on the story - looking forward to seeing more photos!
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
    Please don’t let that happen!
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  10. #10
    Welcome back Fitz...looks like ya had one of those once in a lifetime GREAT times!
    Glenn Clabo
    Michigan

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    What a great trip! It seems like your wife makes life interesting I too can't wait for the next chapter. NZ is one of the places I have always wanted to visit, but probably never will

    Ohh, and the more pictures the better.
    It’s only work if somebody makes you do it.
    A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.
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  12. #12
    Wish my kids would send me somewhere, but I think where they would like to send me I don't want to go. The are however slowly driving me to the nuthouse.

  13. #13
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    Glad you made it back Ken, with all the snow thought you might get stuck in Seattle for a while. Sounds like a GREAT trip. Looking forward to all the pics !
    Sometimes we see what we expect to see, and not what we are looking at! Scott

  14. #14
    Welcome back! Looking forward to the sequels. Beautiful pics already!

  15. #15
    I almost understand.... My son was in Australia for 3 weeks as a student ambassador when he was 15. He swears he'll live there someday.

    NJ to AUS... a very full 24 hours of travel.

    Glad to hear you had a good time.
    "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning".
    Robert Duval in "Apileachips Now". - almost.


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