I finally arrived in Queenstown in Southern New Zealand today after only 24+ hours of flying, etc.  Not sure why I dreaded the 14+ hour flight from Houston to Auckland.  Dinner, a movie, a little snoozing and presto! I looked my watch and almost 5 hours of the flight had gone by.  Sure, the last 9 or so hours seemed to drag a little...

Speaking of which, why is it whenever I have a somewhat long haul flight I seem to get stuck next to some overly large person?  It seems the longer the flight, the heavier the person sitting next to me (some sort of fixed ratio).  I think in my seat preferences the airlines have me down for 'window plus super sized person on longer flights.'  In this case, the hefty woman next to me seemed to spill into my seat and sort of pin me to the window much of the flight, especially as we rolled (she literally) with the turbulence..  I was glad I was not in an exit row as the pressure might have caused a door malfunction and I would have ended up in the South Pacific without my swimming trunks.  I don't expect to see this woman on the hiking trail.  

Upon arrival in Q, it being lunch time, I immediately headed right for.... Ferngbergers (which Sam and Craze know as the best hamburger place in NZ and maybe the world).

 It was like I had never left- people were yelling 'Hey Ken!  Welcome back Man!'  With the expected backslapping all around, etc.  Craze and Sam were missed, but I told the folks that- kind of like Everest and 'Into Thin Air' that they 'just didn't make it' (bit of an inside climbing joke).  In any case, we certainly put the place on the map 5 years ago, as it was mobbed (and is still very good).  I think once some Japanese tour agency put Q on the recommended list... well the Japanese don't seem to do anything alone or in small groups.  They were all over the place.  Still, as this sign in the bathroom indicated, the place does seem to attract something of a quirky crowd-

Finally, I had almost forgotten how beautiful and indeed unique are the Remarkables (mountains) and the Q setting, even right outside the airport.