Viva Auckland...via London?

Last Saturday, we took Matt's sisters to the airport as they embarked on their journey to New Zealand.  What start as a simple flight to LA turned into a worldly tour.  Their flight from Madison to Chicago was canceled due to snowy conditions, so they hopped a bus to O'Hare.  From there, they boarded a plane to London.  From London, it was only an 11-hour flight back to LAX...oh, and then another 14 hours to Auckland. 

Sound like fun. So, when do we leave?

Passport...check!

We got it! Matt's passport arrived on Tuesday and we're just about ready to go.  In between our last minute Christmas shopping this week, we got the last few items on our packing list.  Must be sure not to forget passports and the camera...oh and I suppose some extra underwear might be nice.  But if those are the only things we take, I think we'll be okay.  :)

Dude, where's your passport?!

12/15/09

We met with our travel agent today to finalize our New Zealand itinerary.  Things are looking pretty good.  We have our flight, hotels and a couple tours booked.  Just have to do a little more research on day-to-day activities, hiking, and fun, relaxing touristy things. 

We learned something new about New Zealand passport requirements: "All visitors to New Zealand must carry a passport that is valid for at least three months beyond the date you intend to leave the country."  Well, come to find out (randomly), Matt's passport expires two weeks after we return to the states. 

Hmm...Let's see if the government, FedEx, the heafty expedite fee can get us that passport by Jan 2!