Couple to greet the New Year twice next week

Damon Eric Harrell and his wife Kymberly will usher in the New Year at midnight twice next week, if they can pull it off, and they will post to The Star’s Facebook page as they go.

The Harrells (he is the son of Melvin Harrell Sr. of Grand Coulee) plan to fly to Auckland, New Zealand to watch the midnight fireworks from the 1,076-foot Sky Tower, then head across the International Dateline to catch the New Year’s Eve celebration in Honolulu, Hawaii.

They plan to leave Auckland the morning of Jan. 1, 2015, taking an eight-hour flight scheduled to arrive in Honolulu Dec. 31, 2014 about 9 p.m.

“From what I understand, the flight that we will board is the only one that will have passengers who will see two New Year’s eve celebrations, in two different time zones and two different hemispheres,” Harrell said in an email exchange with The Star. “The first major city and the last major city (to greet the new year), so yes we will witness the midnight fireworks in both locations.”

To pull it off, Harrell said, they need two factors to fall in their favor. The flight has to leave and arrive on time, and they have to get out of customs in Honolulu within an hour.

“Luckily, the Jet Stream will help us out at 38,000 feet,” he said.

Harrell said they plan to post selfies and other photos to the The Star’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/GrandCouleeStar from both locations.

“I am very excited to be the first person from Grand Coulee to have pulled this off,” he said. “I will keep you posted on our progress.”

Based in Houston, Texas, Harrell said he works in the crude oil industry.