Leeds, England to Christchurch, New Zealand
After fire school I returned to England to say goodbye to my friends and
family, including my Fiance Tracy Kirkbride. Would she still want to marry me
in a years time? I was about to find out. On the morning
of ?? October 1995 I boarded a British Midland flight from Leeds-Bradford
Airport on the first leg of a journey that would take me over 12,000 miles
away to the South Pole.
Left: Los Angeles from the air. Just your average MegaCity really. In the
distance are the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Right: Hotel at Los Angeles airport (LAX).
After a short stop in London, I travelled on to Los Angeles. I was feeling
somewhat lost and alone at this point having just said an emotional farewell
to my family in England. However at LA I bumped into Jason Dorpinhaus, one of
the other winter over crew. The team building week in Denver had worked well.
We soon got stuck into a few beers and chatted like old friends as we waited
for our flight. Very soon I was all keyed up again for the adventure ahead.
We next had to endure a long, 13hr flight (in economy class again!) to Auckland,
New Zealand where the sun was shining on a bright windy spring day.
Sunrise over the pacific ocean viewed from a 747 at 33,000 ft
Another short hop took us to
Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand. So far I had travelled on
commercial air liners but they could take me no further. Now I was in the
hands of the US Antarctic Program(USAP).
The Maori name for New Zealand is Ao-Tearoa which means "Land
of the Long White Cloud". These photos taken on the flight from Auckland to
Christchurch show the name to be apt.
