So this is New Zealand (standard time)

We are chugging along, about halfway between Hawaii and Japan, still on a westward course, which keeps us in the warm (77 degrees F) water and air.  Here's the (almost) first sunrise in the eastern hemisphere. 

Since we are traveling directly west, the only spots to see the sunrise are very public, so appropriate clothing is required.  I took this shot from the dining room.  It looks like there was an abbreviated sunrise before the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

In preparation for the date change, Jim (my boss) did one of his famous riffs, explaining how a line was stretched across the ocean in 1925 to mark the exact spot.  Although he tries hard to make these announcements as ridiculous as possible while keeping a straight face, several students mentioned they were eagerly anticipating this passage.  (Yes, really.) 

As for me, I woke up to a new day, a new hemisphere, and a day's worth of vitamins to remind me I haven't quite adjusted to the date change either.



Somewhere, far to the south, lies New Zealand.  This is the first time my brother and I have been in the same time zone since 1983.