Zim Brother's Xmas Special

I'm back and I have a lot of great stories. I would like to start with the Zim Brother's Xmas Special. Last year Ed and Zim (don't know his real name) preformed a concert in the waste barn with special McM songs. One of my favorites was the "12 Day's in Christchurch". I think you know how the tune goes. The song is making fun of what happens when weather is bad in McM and you can't fly. "On the first day in Christchurch Raytheon gave to me, $140 Kiwi..." Well, I didn't make it all the way to day 12 but I did see day 10 so let me share with you my version of the 12 days in CHCH (just to let you know we typically arrive on one day, get our ECW the next and leave on the third but not this year).

On the 30th of Sep I landed in Auckland after a 13 hr flight from LAX and was able to see my friend Vince. I met Vince on the ice last year and his normal job is a police officer at the airport. It was easy to find him but not as easy to explain to all my new friends why I was being escorted around by the police. It was great to see Vince and I can't wait until January when he comes back down to the ice. To stay on the theme of the 12 Days In CHCH, Raytheon gave to me $70 kiwi (remember the budget cuts) and a room at Hotel So. The room was small, but it had mood lighting in the shower, a TV channel that was just a wood fire, sun lights for an alarm clock, and free internet. I loved this place (I later got bumped to the YMCA).
On the second day in CHCH Raytheon gave to me two wool socks (and the rest of my ECW) and $70 kiwi. Yep day two was spent trying on "Big Red" (my jacket) and all the rest of warm clothing that will keep me warm this season. This time I knew what I was doing and I ended up returning about 2/3 of my initial gear for better fitting or alternate style clothing.
On the Third Day in CHCH Raytheon Gave to me a fun hike from Sumner to Lytelton with great views and amazing fish and chips at our destination and $70 kiwi. Matt and Matt joined me on this trip, they are both fellow fuelies. One Matt was a Jano last year and was at pole the same time I was and the other Matt was a fellow GA.

On the forth day in CHCH Raytheon gave to me... and $70 kiwi. Okay this day is tough to explain so let me just explain what was happening in CHCH. So every other day another plane full of people arrive in CHCH from Denver. However due to a persistent storm, flight 1 can't get out. I'm on flight 2 so I get to sit back and relax. A typical day starts off with getting up at 8ish, getting breakfast somewhere, catching the shuttle to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) and collecting my $70 and two more shuttle vouchers. I then go back into town, eat lunch, wander around, eat dinner, more wandering only to go to bed and repeat the next day. Well, eventually it turns into a game of who can find the most exciting things to do. I'll explain further some of my activities, but others were a trip to Hanmer Hot Springs, Skiing, Surfing, Paragliding, Horseback Riding, Bungee Jumping... The best part is we were all on the clock. Yeah, paid vacation. One day I was going to play golf with a few friends but the place didn't hire (rent) clubs on Sundays. However we did get a great walk in through the botanical gardens and saw these ducks.

Laser tag was a fun day. Me and three friends signed up to play laser tag. As we waited for our time slot we played air hockey and fooze ball when 8 other ice people showed up. Long story short we spent 30 minutes running around shooting kiwis that were on the other team (they beat us). The good news is that I scored the most points on my team (thanks Dad for helping me with the shooting).None of these stories would be complete without telling about Go-Karting. Wow, these things move. After the first couple laps this guy caught me in a corner and I hit the wall doing about 15mph. May not sound like much but I was very stiff the next day from it. (Don't worry Gamma, I had a helmet and a seat belt on and Go-Karts are more safe than rugby). To end our 15min race, me and two others did a little "rubbing", broke the track, and had to end our laps a little early (others in the group also "rubbed" a little that added to the plastic all over the ground).

Paintball was another fun day. I joined the ATO (Antarctic Terminal Operations - cargo people) in a fun game of paintball (can you believe I get paid for this). The game lasted 3 hrs and was a ton of fun. I shot my roommate Eric in the back and in the chest, and even hit Jano Matt with a couple shots. I had one fun moment when I was hiding in the bushes when the other team was sneaking in from behind our fort. I didn't hear the person behind me until it was too late. I got off the first couple shots, but from a few feet away he tagged me in the jaw. I spent the rest of the day picking paint out of my beard. The other team won, but we were a person short and had the sun in our eyes. This day I also had the enjoyment of having a stick go through my Croc and into my foot. I've been limping ever since. I also have these funny red marks all over my body from where I got shot.

My version of the 12 Days in CHCH also included a boomerang flight. Flight 1 finally made it out and they sent the C-17 back for flight 2. At 10pm we all headed out to the CDC. by 1am we were taxing on the runway and left for McM. The flight is 5hrs long and at 4:45 the load master got on the PA and announced "Folks, in a moment you are going to feel the plane bank and turn. This is our plane returning to CHCH and we are not landing at Pegasus Airfield in McM today. Get comfortable for the 4:30 ride home." Yup 9.5hrs on a plane only to end up were we started.

The best part to my 10 days in CHCH was the food. I had sushi 4x, Lamb Souvlaki 4x, Indian 3x, french toast with bananas and bacon 2x, Mexican 2x, ... Yeah I ate well. More stories to come, but I am back on the ice and safe and sound. Temp is -20ish and work has already begun! Once again I am happy to be here and am nothing but smiles. My next post will blow you away so stay tuned!

Cheers