Friday, 24 Friday.  I was early to everything today, which is how I like it.  Said goodbye to my rental.  3,128 kilometers.  Flew to Auckland, took a bus into the city, went up the Sky Tower.  Had a toasted ham, cheese, and pineapple sandwich.  I liked it.  Auckland is the opposite of everything I experienced further south.  I’m glad I didn’t start there.  Hustle and bustle.  Felt like New York City.  Not impressed.

Several people on first flight had had Kimchi.  The oder got on my cloths, so whenever I think of Auckland, I’ll think kimchi.  It won’t be a good memory.

Crowded flight to Fiji.  Everyone’s nice on the island.  “Bula” means welcome and it’s an overused word.  After an hour I was mumbling “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”  I’m in a great hotel that’s so new the taxi driver said he’d never been there.  Neither of us could find the reception entrance at first.  It’s right across the street from the marina, which is why I booked it (other than the price).  Had a lightly fried snapper dinner with a lemon/butter sauce on the side.  The fish was fantastic without the sauce, but adding the sauce made me think I’d died and gone to Fiji.  Fiji rum is an acquired taste, but I’ve got three days to acquire it.  Right now I’m drinking NZ wine that’s costing half what it did in NZ.

Fifi is east of NZ, but their clocks are an hour different in the other direction.  No idea why.  The sun sets nearly two hours earlier.  Actually, Fiji is one of the few countries that crosses the 180 degree longitude line.  But like Alaska’s Aleutians, they “bend” the line to stay in the same time zone and the same day!

Tomorrow I go on a boat cruise to snorkel.  I’ll try out my GoPro.