Saturday..14-FEB-15
apologies
I have not been on this blog for some time as I have been busy at work for the final last full time working week. I have a couple of things to do at work over the weekend and then Monday morning to finalise the full time job.   When I return to work (23Mar15)  I am on reduced days 2/3 per week and believe it or not I am looking forward to this.  Anyway I am not thinking about this for the next 5 weeks.
 I am just waiting for the EMIRATES web-site to open to allow the on-line check-in to take place.  The bag is packed (22kgs), the cameras are all charged, the KINDLE is charged, the (2) mobile phones are ready and the i-pad is in the rufty-tufty protective case (Amazon state this is military grade)...reckon I'm ready to go at a moments notice. 
The post Christmas weight did NOT come off as planned and therefore the large waisted trousers have been deployed.  This is mainly due to the enormous amount of eating I have done over the last two weeks.
I do not want you followers to get your expectations up about the quality of the material you will see on this blog.  There will be a lot of photos of food (this is to annoy the guys in the office who think it is naff to do this) and boring selfies (I have stick - courtesy of my daughter)
I have always been fascinated by NZ because of the variety of the topography of the country.  There are not many countries in this world who have Volcanos, Glaciers, Geysers and Alpine mountains.
the other reasons for wanting to do this is that I have never been to the Southern Hemisphere where the night sky is different from us up in the North.
I have looked at numerous bogs from professionals and seasoned travellers who fired up my courage to ask my wife's permission to go on this odyssey but the one that inspired me was that of a young American girl who quoted C.S. Lewis "you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" and I then thought, why not I am going to go for this.
The dream is now going to be a reality so watch this space for how it develops..speak to you soon
[there will be photos if i can master the technology]
DavidH