First Wrap Up

I posted some maps above that are from the SPOT Tracker that seem to better summarize our trip to New Zealand.  The total distance from Auckland, NZ to Los Angeles, CA is just over 6500 miles.  I'm not totally sure but I think that the total distance for this trip was 16-17,000 miles.  


I arrived home just after midnight on Sunday, March 18.  It was a long trip home - just over 40 hours enroute.  Way too much of that time was spent waiting in airports - first Christchurch, NZ, then Auckland, NZ, then Los Angeles, CA and then Phoenix, AZ.  When US Air wanted me to wait for my luggage due to the ramp crews in Indianapolis being barred from unloading luggage due to strong thunderstorms in the Indianapolis area.  I gave up and I will go back later today to get my luggage.

Last Day of Fishing

Yesterday Charlie & Gene took a day off from the fishing wars.  Don and Chip went with John and Ross to the Hunerui River.  It was another spectacular river in a narrow mountain canyon.  The walking was very tiresome for the anglers, but these NZ guides run the rocks like they are nothing.  Each angler had a couple of missed opportunities, but at the end of the day no fish were caught. 


Today begins the first of 2 Saturdays this week to make up for no Wednesday last week.  We will drive to Christchurch for a 90 minute flight to Auckland and then across the pond tonight.  So, we leave Christchurch Saturday evening and from Auckland Saturday night and arrive Los Angeles Saturday morning.  

Charlie & Chip

To begin the day news reached Charlie that he had just become a grandfather for the 4th time and Chip was an uncle again when Charlie's daughter, Wendy, gave birth to Alexis.  Mother and daughter are doing well.

Chip caught the biggest fish of the trip. It was a nice 7lb'er.  They were fishing the Boyle River with our host, John.

Gene and Don spent the day on the Hope River on private land.  Each fished one side of the river.  It worked well because Gene fishes left-handed and I fish right-handed.  So, now you know that it was not Gene nor Don who caught the big fish of the trip so far.

Photo Dump Continued

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A couple of more of Chip's fish from Wednesday (NZ Time).  Another shot of the lodge deck.

Hopefully pix of the largest fish caught so far on this trip tomorrow.  It was caught Thursday (NZ time) by an undisclosed angler.  More tomorrow.

Clarence River - Photo Dump

Some shots from the Clarence River near Hamner Springs.  Gene's fish from yesterday.  He had another one on and lost it.  Chip and Charlie were high gun yesterday with 2 fish each.  Then a couple of photos of the spectacular location of the lodge overlooking the confluence of 3 rivers.

Driving in NZ

Today's drive reminded me of the problems that Americans have driving here in NZ.  Of course, they drive on the left side of the road here.  That part gets easier as you go......well, until you make a stop and pull out automatically to the wrong side of the road.   That can be dangerous to both parties.  But it goes beyond that - the driver drives from the right side, so you have to relearn which side of the car to get into as a driver or as a passenger.  I am constantly forgetting this.  My guide, Greg, would find it necessary to gently remind me that I was getting into his driver's seat by saying, "I'll drive, thank you!".  Once settled into the drivers seat, the controls are all backwards.  The shift lever is on the center console to your LEFT.  Every time that I want the turn signals, I turn on the windshield washers.  For the wipers I turn on the turn signal.  Then the sight picture while driving is extremely distressing to both the driver and the passenger - maybe, that's just Gene as the passenger.  It's kind of like being home with Barb as my passenger.  There is a constant critique of how I am driving.  Another thing is like home - my passenger never want to drive to show me how much they are at this.

Too much fun.  

I'll try to add some photos to this post later to help you understand our difficulties.  Maybe it's just us!