Looking down on Christchurch from Mt Vernon Park (c) ABR 2017

Total time flying: 16hrs
Layover time: 11hrs

I decided not to splurge, and stayed in LAX for my entire 9 hour layover. The international terminal wasn’t a horrible place to be, and I even found a quiet corner to lay down in and get some work done.

The flight to New Zealand ended up being hellish. Either I just had some extremely painful bloating, or I was actually sick. Either way, it started just an hour into the 12 hr flight, and it was torturous. I’m dreading the trip home at this point. I have a rental car on stand by in LA, if I get off on the way home and can’t stand to get back in the air.

(c) ABR 2017

I was still in pain and utterly exhausted when I got to Christchurch, but my hotel didn’t allow check in until 2p. So, I drove over to Mt. Vernon park and walked the Sugarloaf Circuit. It was very nice, all things considered. But I was damn glad to get to my hotel room, and I didn’t leave once I check in. Ended up sleeping for 11 hours.

What happened next? Find out! Day Two