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I'm more of a 20th-century travel writer slacker. My wife and I took the plane to New Zealand, with a stopover in Fiji.
It was a pretty funny stopover. We deplaned and walked down a covered walkway with a roof and railings, ie, if you wanted, you could jump off and escape into Fiji.
We met a passport control officer in Fijian attire who reviewed our passports, exited around his desk in a 180-degree turn, and entered an empty terminal where all the shops were closed. Most stopover airports direct everyone to a stopover area, as there's no need to check the passports of folks transiting through the country. It's like he needed something to do, or he was looking for someone wanted by Interpol or something.
This was in January 2005. New Zealand was incredible. We visited Hobbiton (a bit pricey with a limited stay), which was a half-hour bus ride to the site through a sheep ranch. We got to walk around the set and then had a beer at the Green Dragon Inn, with a time limit of 2 hours before the next batch of tourists came.
We really liked the South Island, took the ferry from the North to the South in our rented car, and circumnavigated the island, ending in Christchurch. Sad to go.
It was interesting how the constellations looked upside down and how kids had summer break in our winter, and how it started to get really cold at the close of February in the South Island. Oh, and driving on the left, and the roads that crossed the island closed at dusk.
End of my travel monologue.
It was a pretty funny stopover. We deplaned and walked down a covered walkway with a roof and railings, ie, if you wanted, you could jump off and escape into Fiji.
We met a passport control officer in Fijian attire who reviewed our passports, exited around his desk in a 180-degree turn, and entered an empty terminal where all the shops were closed. Most stopover airports direct everyone to a stopover area, as there's no need to check the passports of folks transiting through the country. It's like he needed something to do, or he was looking for someone wanted by Interpol or something.
This was in January 2005. New Zealand was incredible. We visited Hobbiton (a bit pricey with a limited stay), which was a half-hour bus ride to the site through a sheep ranch. We got to walk around the set and then had a beer at the Green Dragon Inn, with a time limit of 2 hours before the next batch of tourists came.
We really liked the South Island, took the ferry from the North to the South in our rented car, and circumnavigated the island, ending in Christchurch. Sad to go.
It was interesting how the constellations looked upside down and how kids had summer break in our winter, and how it started to get really cold at the close of February in the South Island. Oh, and driving on the left, and the roads that crossed the island closed at dusk.
End of my travel monologue.