Passports. Check. Melbourne Cup tickets. Check. Fascinators and fedoras. Check. Aussie dollars to place a bet. Check. Panadols and vitamin tablets. Check.
Yes, it was going to be a full-on day for the 150 Southerners who flew out of Invercargill this morning on a much-anticipated day trip to the Melbourne Cup.
Invercargill Airport's runway was extended in 1995 to take international aircraft but today's international flight was the first to actually take place.
There was happy chatter as passengers passed through check-in, civil aviation security and customs stations at a pop up international departure lounge set up in the Southern Wings Aero Club building at the airport.
On the tarmac it was a chilly 10deg with a stiff southerly wind - goosebump conditions for many of the women dressed in their Flemington finery.
At 7.15am they took off, with a promise from trip organiser Tony Laker, of House of Travel Lakers, of a fine and balmy 20degC in Melbourne.
John McDougall, of Winton, had spent more than $16,000 on tickets for himself, his wife Margaret, and their five children.
Anne and Robert Shaw, of Queenstown had booked a night in an Invercargill hotel either side of their trip - the return flight is due in at 1.30am tomorrow.
Pam Woodrow, of Wyndham, was up at 3.45am to make it to the airport on time.
It was an even earlier start for the Air New Zealand A320 Airbus charter plane and its crew, who were at Auckland Airport at 4am for their departure.
Carolynn Robertson, of Wyndham, surprised her husband Bruce with a ticket for his birthday in June - a special treat for him as his horse breeder father Frank bred the 1954 Melbourne Cup winner Rising Fast.
Vivienne Ireland (76), of Invercargill, left her husband Peter at home and travelled alone when he decided he was not interested.
''I said, 'well, I'm going'. Every year I have a bet on the cup and watch it on TV and I have always wanted to be there in person,'' she said.
House of Travel co-owner Tracey Laker was carrying gifts for the winners of the on-board fashion parade and ''best-dressed'' competition, plus 45 panadols and 150 Barocca vitamin tablets for tired passengers with sore heads on the way home.
''How am I going to explain all these pills to customs?'' she joked.
Air New Zealand South Island sales manager Kim Grafton was booked as a passenger.
After spending two years helping Mr Laker make the trip a reality, she said she couldn't miss out on the action.
''It's been a major collaboration from lots of people to get this off the ground.''
She said she was also going to be a ''very unofficial'' hostess.
''I'll help Tony and Tracey round everyone up so we can get them all home again.''
Mr McDougall (75) was on board to be part of Invercargill's first international flight.
On November 6, 1944, aged 4, he travelled to Dunedin with his parents on the first domestic passenger flight out of Invercargill and still has the tickets.
''I've always looked forward to the first international flight out of Invercargill and said I would be on it if I could. It didn't matter where I would be going.''
He has a passing interest in horse racing - his youngest daughter Nicola is a jockey - but said he hadn't initially been planning to buy tickets for seven people.
''We went to see the Melbourne Cup [trophy] when Tony arranged for it to be brought over to the Ascot Park Hotel. I got out my cheque book there and then, but when Nicola saw I had written out the cheque from the family trust account she said `if you're going, we're going too'.''
