This will be a quick posting and sorry, no photos on this travel day. We have arrived in Wellington, the "middle of Middle Earth." All the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movie stuff is here. I did yell out "Gandolf!" thinking I had a sighting of the Grey, then White Wizard, but it was just a random, old Chinese man with a long beard and a floppy large hat. One of many of those; we are in the Pacific Rim, after all.

We were annoyed that Air New Zealand charged us extra for our carry-on bags. Our US domestic and international bag behaviors do not apply here. An additional $170...ouch! At least it was New Zealand dollars, which is slightly less than US dollars. G was more burned up about it than me because she is a planner and she didn't plan on this extra expense. Until she gets over it I expect a diet of bread and water. Maybe I'll lose weight...looking for a bright side.