We made it to Sydney, though not with the grace or ease that we would have liked :) From a visa snafu, to a delay that kicked off contingency planning for the first half of our honeymoon, to Katie contacting Delta in-flight via Facebook messenger to ask them to hold our seats, to a medical emergency (not us) prior to takeoff in LA... the bottom line is that WE MADE IT. And, we even got a bit o' sleep. We're walking zombies, but we're very happy zombies.
Coincidentally, Katie's uncle is in town for a tech conference in Sydney, and he was gracious enough to let us stow our bags and grab a hot shower before exploring the city. While the weather left a bit to be desired, we zipped on our rain gear and had just enough time to see the downtown sights - Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, a big cruise ship... done.
After a hot meal, we bid adieu to Uncle Bob and headed back to the airport for our third flight in 24 hours - a quick 3-hour jaunt to Christchurch on our new favorite airline, Air New Zealand. Chances they'd service the US anytime soon? Seriously, this airline put US domestic carriers to shame. Their friendliness, pleasant in-flight conversation, and genuine care for their patrons is contagious; even the passengers were chatting one another up. We think we're going to like NZ and its inhabitants very much, indeed.
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia