Plans

I don't start actually working in Winton until January 19. So we are going to do some traveling around New Zealand before that. I have my interview with the representative of the New Zealand Medical Council in Christchurch on January 6, and then I've reserved a campervan for the next 10 days. When we've traveled other places, we've followed a philosophy of picking one area, and learning about it in depth, rather than hopping all over the map. I like this approach, and some of the best travel memories we have are of the little places not found in travel guides. New Zealand is a large country, so we've decided to focus only on South Island, and not go to the North. So far I am trying to resist the urge to plan every moment down to the tiniest detail. However, I did give in to making a "booking", as they call a reservervation, to swim with the dolphins in Kaikoura. I read about this in the book "Kiwi Tracks", and the advice to "sing to the dolphins" through the snorkel just sounded like a lot of fun.

However, I got to thinking about snorkeling, and realized that withouit my glasses, I might sing to them but never see them. This led to a bit of web research about low vision in divers. Turns out you can order specially made diving masks that have corrective lenses. These are, understandably, pricey. There are some "stick on" inserts you can order to put into a mask, but they only go up to 3 diopters, and I need 7. However, one site suggested getting some disposable contact lenses. So I called my optometrist, Dr. Kimberly Cruise who was just wonderful, and has provided me with some trial disposable lenses. I will need to put them in and try them out before the trip, since I've not worn contacts for about 10 years. So we should be all set, providing the weather is not too bad, and the dolphins show up.

The plans after that are to NOT have a plan, but to creatively wander around the north part of South Island and talk to people, and follow any leads. Vaguely we might go to the beach in the north, and visit the glaciers on the West Coast. We will save Southland for day trips on weekends later in the summer and fall.

The next thing to do is finish up the To Do list and start packing. I did find a cool site, for a Universal Packing List, that is going to help us get organized, I hope...

Little Details
When I was about 10 my favorite author was Robert A. Heinlein. His science fiction was really great because of all the little details he put into the stories. These little changes, like the invention of something to permanently eliminate the need to shave facial hair, really made his alien cultures and far planets come alive.
We're dealing with some of these details now. New Zealand runs on 220 volt current: U.S. has the 110 volt standard. Even the plugs are differently shaped, and I guess that's a good thing to prevent blowing out U.S. made equipment with the higher voltage. However, it sure is strange that so many parts of the world use different standards for voltage and TV transmission, etc.... Turns out my laptop runs equally well (through the charger "brick") on either 110 or 220, so all I'll need is a plug converter for that. However, the Braun toothbrush only runs on 110 volts, so we will either need to buy a voltage converter device or buy a new electric toothbrush in N.Z. Vicki doesn't think she can use a "manual" for 6 months and still feel she has clean teeth. I agree that the Braun is a superior instrument.
We will have to set up a bank account in N.Z. on arrival, but how to be sure of cash flow is another detail. I read that ATMs in N.Z. won't work with a credit card that doesn't "have a PIN built into the card". How do we know if our cards have built-in pins? I don't think ours do at this point. A doctor I met at Mayo earlier this fall told me to avoid taking a cashiers check or bank transfer papers, as her transfer took over 4 weeks to clear. The modern electronic age! Vicki is checking with the bank.
The other detail we looked at was baggage allowance. Air N.Z. allows "2 pieces of baggage per person with a maximum combined dimension (length + width + height) of 158cm (62in) per piece
Each piece cannot exceed 32kg in weight". Carry on allows purse, walking stick, raincoat, and " 1 piece with a maximum combined dimension of 115cm, Maximum weight of 7kgs per piece". If we carry 2 laptops, and Liz's viola, we might be able to stuff in a bunch of stuff into "purses" and get by. But to plan for 6 months of varied activities from hiking, to working in clinic, to social events and get it all in to 64 kg. per person will be a challenge. I think my size 13 shoes probably weigh 4 kg. per pair alone.