The last three days I spent in Wellington couldn’t have been better. The weather was ideal: clear skies with a few clouds, mild temps, and a low breeze blowing off the harbor — apparently kind of a rare environment for Wellington. The days were relaxed, nothing was planned, and I got to meet quite a few local webbers. continued

I mentioned in a previous entry that I’m actually going to make it to New Zealand’s North Island for a brief stay. Thursday — 21 October — I’ll be flying from Christchurch into Wellington around mid-day. I’m spending a couple days there, and I really don’t have much planned. I just want to see and experience New Zealand’s capital city, enjoy the coffee, see a few LoTR sites, and hang out with more Kiwis. continued

I arrived in New Zealand late last night, after quite a bit of drama at the Cairns airport earlier in the day. I almost didn’t make it to NZ for multiple reasons. For the biggest bit of drama, if you know me, ask me about getting detained for knocking a security guard on his bum, most likely ending in him having a black eye this morning. continued

For those of you loosely following along on the OZ/NZ adventure, I just wrapped up five very relaxing days at Airlee Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. It was a perfect spot to use as a base for exploring the nearby islands, and ended up being a great spot from which to head out to the Great Barrier Reef. continued

I stepped off the plane yesterday in Cairns and immediately got hit with a warm tropical breeze. It was a drastic change from the cool San Francisco-like weather of Melbourne. I loved Melbourne, and wished I could stay longer, but this short trip mandates that I keep moving so I can experience everything I planned. continued

Firming up more of my itinerary the next couple weeks made me realize how little time I have left, and how much more I still want to see. Which means I’m now flying out of Melbourne tomorrow morning, heading up to Cairns. continued

Man, is Sydney beautiful once the rain and overcast skies go away. I woke up at 6:30am this morning, gazed outside my window, and saw bright sunshine already casting its brilliance over Sydney, so I rushed to get out to experience the day. continued

One of the concepts that’s had my brain wrapped around a pole lately is the international date line. When working out times and flights to Sydney recently, I found it really difficult to calculate arrival times based on a 14-hour flight, a 17-hour time difference, and the fact that I was going to cross the date line and lose a day. continued

In less than one month now, I board a plane bound for Sydney, Australia. As I’ve mentioned here once before, I’m honored to be speaking this year at Web Essentials 04. The first annual conference on web standards will be held at the University of Technology, Sydney. I’ll be sharing the stage with Dave Shea, Joe Clark, John Allsopp, Russ Weakley, and geez, a whole host of Australian natives who I can’t wait to meet. continued

Feels like I’ve been running non-stop for the past week. I’ve been careful not to overdo it recently, as I injured my back about a month ago, and I’ve only gotten back into the groove in the past week or so. Regretfully, because of my back, I had to cancel my appearance in Portland at Web Visions. continued