Journey to New Zealand - Tomorrow

First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAAAAASS! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday -- I know I did. ;)  Now, I'm super pressed for time, but I knew I had to write a post before I left...  FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Yeah, I know. I know. I can't believe it's happening either. And up until a week ago, I wasn't even sure it was going to happen. Then, after much prayer on all our parts, my dad gave us the "ok," and things started falling into place.

I still can't believe it, and probably won't until we land in Auckland and are greeted with the beauty that can only belong to New Zealand. ^_^

The one thing that has me kinda depressed is the fact that I've caught a cold... Perfect timing, right? -_- Though it hasn't been too terrible (as far as the flu goes), it has been an annoyance and a general pain in the neck. So prayers for my health to be returned would be so, so appreciated. :)

Back to le journey... 10 days in all. It will be a group of 3: my dad, my oldest sister Alissa, and myself. We're heading out tomorrow, getting back the 7th of January. We'll be taking a one-day stop in Hawaii, where we'll stay with a family friend and recover from a bit of jet lag, before heading out from Honolulu to Auckland to begin our New Zealand journey!!!

Below is my "map itinerary" that I created to get my ideas organized. As you can see, we're just doing the North Island, and the general gist of the trip is driving from Auckland to Wellington, and back to Auckland to catch a flight back home -- seeing many awesome sights along the way. :D



What am I most excited about...?

HOBBITON. I've dreamed of visiting this corner of the Shire ever since I saw the Lord of the Rings, 3 years ago. It then became my "life long dream," but the life long-ness got cut short by me visiting it IN A FEW DAYS. Needless to say, I've been having alot of trouble even-ing lately...

There's so many other places that I'm so excited to visit and share with you, but I'm out of time, and must get some sleep before our 5 am wake up call tomorrow.

When I get back (or possibly during the trip; it just depends on our internet availability), you will be hearing all about my journey. PLUS my grandparents helped me buy an awesome new camera for Christmas (a Nikon L830, because you wanted to know ;D) so the pictures will definitely be something to look forward to. :D

And finally, namárië, my friends, and I can not wait to catch up with you again very soon!!!

P.S. Pinch me. I must be dreaming.