

KIA ORA! (A warm New Zealand greeting)
Our journey started on Tuesday, October 11, at 2:00 am, from our new home in Fort Pierce, Florida to Fort Lauderdale to catch a 7:05 am American Airlines flight to Dallas and then Houston. In Houston we collected our luggage and transferred to United for San Francisco and then finally to Auckland, New Zealand.
Author’s Note: The convoluted travel arrangements were due to my inability to allow for the day lost as we crossed the International Date Line. I had to rebook what wa

THE PART BEFORE THE TRIP
Most divers want to dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Tom is no exception. With the reef diminishing, a liveaboard is a requirement to see vibrant, viable environs. In May, betting the Australian boarders would open, Tom chose a seven day trip with the highly recommended Mike Ball from November 24 through December 1.
My job was to build a trip.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I did not intend to travel 24 hours just so Tom could spend 7 days on a liveaboard.
ANCIENT HISTOR