Adventures in unknown size expectations

I want to bring my bike to NZ so I have something I can get around on because: 1) Christchurch is crazy super flat, unlike SF and 2) I am putting off learning to drive on the WRONG side of the road for as long as possible (much to Guy's dismay).  So how do I go about getting this done?  Effort.  Lots of effort.

First I had to go to two bike shops, act dumb and pretend I didn't realize I needed an appointment.  I have a friend's car this week so this is the ideal time to get things taken care of.  A guy at the second bike shop took pity on me and said it would be done by Wednesday, but it was finished on Sunday afternoon.  Score!

I head over to pick it up after a long day at the racetrack for a friends birthday, so please imagine a tired, slightly sunburned Ann wearing sunglasses and an overall bedraggled look.  I pay for the bike to be put in a box ($45??!?) and the charming young man pulls out my bike for me.  It is in a HUGE box.  For some reason I imagined it to be roughly the size of a suitcase to be easily transported which, in reflection, makes no sense because of the body of the bike which is one piece.  The bike box, which is almost too big to pick up with my limited arm span, makes it out into the parking lot and into the car.

I then call Air New Zealand to make sure this counts for one of my pieces of luggage and I don't have to pay extra for it being oversized, since it sure looks oversized to me.  I ask the Kiwi on the phone if he would like the dimensions in inches or millimeters.  He says millimeters, but centimeters would be better.  Dumb American-Ann.  Lo and behold, it counts as a piece of luggage.  I will look silly as heck with a huge bike box I cannot lug around easily, a suitcase, a big backpack, and a regular backpack for my carryon.

Ness helped me show off the size of the box