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This is the view from the adorable little open courtyard at the Faa’a International Airport in Papeete, Tahiti where I am currently:

1. Drinking a hot coffee (it’s 6:15 am and I’m trying to pep up for the last leg of my journey)
2. Sweating to death
3. Blogging from the airport like some insipid influencer. Lord forgive me.

I had the best flight.
I know; when do you ever hear anyone say that? But it’s true. I was on a gigantic Boeing 787 with cheerful Polynesian Islands-inspired fabric, lots of leg room, and extremely kind Air Tahiti Nui attendants with big smiles, light-up “Happy New Year” tiaras, and flowers behind their ears. I was settling into my aisle seat in the middle row (three rows of three) when I realized that the attendants were starting to make final preparations for takeoff…..with no one else seated in my row, or even close to me at all. Whaaaaaat. This was a dream come true; a not-full giant airplane for an 8 hour flight and an entire row to myself. I was trying to figure out of I was allowed to use all three seats when the attendants started coming around and inviting people to move to empty rows (again, when does that ever happen?!). Literally my best-case flight scenario, especially since I hold the irrational yet firm belief that the fewer the people on the flight, the less the plane weighs and therefore the less likely it is to fall out of the sky (tell me I am not alone here?).

So I put up the arm rests, opened two of the three little complimentary blankets, stacked up the three little complimentary pillows, made a nest, watched the first 6 minutes of “Meg 2,” and fell asleep (sorry, Jason Statham, not even you could keep my eyes open in such a cozy little fort). I only woke up once, to the captain saying “Au nom de notre équipage, je vous souhaite à tous une bonne année!………….[awkward pause]………….Happy New Year. It is now 2024.” It was a bit anticlimactic when no one responded but then one person did one of those lackluster little “Woohoos”, and someone else joined in, and then everyone was clapping and wishing one another a bonne année/Happy New Year.

I’m thinking that this dreamy flight was the universe’s way of apologizing for that 2022 flight to NZ when my phone was stolen and then everyone at the San Fran airport except myself and my fellow Fiji Air passengers was evacuated due to a bomb threat.

I walked off the plane in Papeete, Tahiti and was immediately drenched in sweat. It’s 80 degrees here with 85% humidity and I was in corduroys and a hoodie. After freshening up and changing into something more weather-appropriate, I paid 800 something ($800?)* for a flat white (the closest thing Oceania has to a coffee as we Americans know it; essentially a delicious, creamy latté) and am now settled into a corner of the adorable little open courtyard awaiting my 5.5 hour flight to Auckland, which departs in about three hours.

Merçi beauCOUP, Ait Tahiti Nui, et Bonne Année!

*CFP: French Pacific Franc. 800 CFP is $7.39.

PS: I know my photo-vs-text formatting is wonky. I’ll work on it!

For the second year in a row, I’m flying out of the States at 11 PM on December 31st and arriving in New Zealand on the afternoon of January 2nd (due to the time difference). Which means that for the second year in a row, I’m completely missing January 1st. But 2024 is a leap year, so now I’ll only be one day behind for the rest of my life as opposed to two!

This time I’m flying from Los Angeles to Tahiti to New Zealand (I’m posting a map is because I personally had no idea where Tahiti was). I was ecstatic to find out that Los Angeles to Tahiti is only 8 hours, and Tahiti to Auckland is only 5.5. Usually the first leg is 12-13 hours and the second one is 3. This is so much better.

Last year, my absolutely ridiculous flight pattern was Boston–>Toronto–>Vancouver–>Auckland. Yes, you’re readying that correctly: I went north, flew aaaaaaallthe way across Canada, and then flew aaaaaaall the way south to NZ. It was the cheapest flight I could find, for obvious reasons, though I did get two New Years, one while flying over Canada and one somewhere over the Pacific. (Whenever I book a flight, I always think about comedian Mike Birbiglia’s bit where he’s on a flight and the PA system comes on and says “Thank you for choosing Delta!.” And Mike says “I didn’t choose Delta. If it had been five cents cheaper I would have flown on a kite”).

I’ll be celebrating New Year’s somewhere over the Pacific in a few hours. Wherever you’re celebrating, be it on land, at sea, or in the air, and whether or not you’re even staying up til midnight, Happy New Year’s to all and to all a good night. May 2024 have wonderful things in store for all of us!

Onwards and upwards (literally), lotsa love, and talk to you all on the flip side,

Hilary ❤️

I had no idea, until I floated a list of possible blog name ideas on social media last month, that the term “washashore” is unique to Cape Cod. A washashore is anyone who has moved to the Cape from somewhere else, as opposed to someone born on the Cape (a native Cape Codder). I’ve heard the word washashore my entire life and never knew how specific and local it was. I love learning surprising new things.

And while we’re on the subject of funny words in my blog’s subtitle, “Kiwiland” is not an actual nickname for New Zealand. I made it up because it’s whimsical…like “washashore.”