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Published: October 22nd 2005
I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand after a good 8 hour sleep on a Qantas 747-400. After passing through customs and showing the MAF official that my hiking boots were free of Hoof and Mouth disease, we moved our luggage to the domestic terminal and waited for our flight to the South Island. in ChristChurch Joe Mastroianni and I took the Royale Shuttle to the Devon B&B where we were greeted by Sandy the inn keeper; it was just like being at home. With nothing to do Joe and I set out on an eating and drinking mission that lasted until about 8pm, at which point, we called it quits and went to bed. The next morning I woke up early and went to the breakfast room. Surprisingly I was the first one awake so I had some tea, talked with Sandy and played with Angus the inn guard dog. There I waited reading the local newspaper, waiting for Joe and Charlie Kaminsky before ordering my breakfast.
Sandy's breakfasts are fantastic and definitely something we all look forward to. I usually have poached eggs a cut of thick bacon, tomatoes and cooked mushrooms along with as much tea and toast
Clothing Issue 2
Everything has to fit into two orange bagsas I can handle. Joe, Charlie and I sat around talking about the ice and the new South Pole station for a few hours, and at 12:30, Joe and I shuttled back to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center). After watching a delightful video on Antarctic safety, 50 of us piled into the long, cold cement floored room full of hundreds of orange bags. Each bag is pre-labeled with participant names and project numbers and filled with Extreme Cold Weather gear. Over the next 30 minutes everyone rummaged through their bags taking out items they thought they wouldn’t need for their specific jobs, others (like me) tried to acquire gear that is not standard issue. I usually ask for the well worn, green navy pants that seem to have more pockets than I ever know what to do with, they are one of the best things to have in the field.
After clothing issue we were informed that our C-17 cargo jet had a fuel leak and therefore our flight was delayed 24 hours. Joe and I walked around Christchurch, had some Souvlaki and a pint and took it easy. We ran into some others heading south who told us
CDC Pax Terminal
Waiting.. and more waiting the flight was back on, so we had some Thai food at the monkey bar and headed in for a good night sleep.
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Bah, my day in worcester was more exciting than...
Bah, Pooh! My day in worcester was more exciting than that! Ha! But the fact remains, you were in New Zealand, and I.. well, was physically in worcester Mass. Getting attacked by giant orange life jackets in the terminal looked kind of exciting tho' *Fun fact: I could have lived in ChristChurch New ZEaland had I gotten some financial aid but I was forced to go to WPI..