What a way to start the day! The alarm seemed to be louder than normal this morning. Maybe there is a correlation between the volume and how early the alarm goes off; almost whisper-like around 9 or 10 in the morning and eardrum-bursting around 3.00am this morning when we were jolted out of a deep sleep. Simon was stirred from his sleep, which was a little unusual as he is normally getting home around 3.00am at weekends and waking us up, to drive our Prado home from the airport so we could avoid taking out a second mortgage to finance the outrageous car parking fees charged there.
It was interesting to see who was out and about at such an early hour as we made our way to the airport. Garbage trucks seemed to be taking advantage of the lack of traffic and were going about their business. Taxis outnumbered the few private vehicles on the roads and they appeared to be doing a brisk trade in the notorious prostitution precinct around St Kilda.
On the positive side, the drive to the airport from the Bolte Bridge had us see as many cars in the 20 minute journey as we would see in a day on the Savannah Way (i.e. almost none). At one point it was noted that there wasn’t another vehicle in sight. A rare thing for the Tullamarine Tollway!
The airport was unusually quiet, especially for Chris who is typically there in the busier business peak periods twice a week these days. Check-in was uneventful, helped by the fact we could use the first-class desk and avoid the queues that seem to be the norm at economy check-in. After being scanned and processed at immigration, we avoided the temptation to purchase expensive luxury items we didn’t need as we ran the gauntlet of the duty free stores before retreating to the comfort and quiet of the Qantas lounge to wait for our flight to board.
Our flight departed on time and as we climbed to cruising altitude the first rays of daylight appeared in the sky to the east. One thing that was obvious on settling into seats 4A and 4B is that Qantas are using older Boeing aircraft on this trans-Tasman flight. The seats are crammed in with far less space available than is the norm on the flights to and from Perth on the much newer Airbus aircraft.
Wendy settled in to watch a movie and spent most of the flight in world of her own with her noise-cancelling headphones on. We landed in Auckland with clearing skies and a warm humid day. Our flight progressed through a large arc over the city and harbour before swinging west and delivering us on the ground a few minutes ahead of schedule. The customs and immigration process was only interrupted by an extended wait while our walking poles were found, on the floor beside a seat between luggage carousels. Our walking boots were inspected as potential carriers of lethal pest and bio-hazards before we were granted permission to enter the country.
We were greeted by Elaine as we emerged into the waiting hordes and proceeded directly to the car park. A slow journey into the city and over the harbour bridge followed before arriving at Elaine’s apartment in Takapuna. A walk into the Milford shops followed in an effort to get the legs working after the flight in the morning. It was warm and more humid than Melbourne and a stop for a refreshing drink was eventually in order before returning to Elaine’s apartment for pre, during and post-dinner drinks.
Another pleasant day is forecast for tomorrow and, as a result, we are planning to walk to Takapuna for a coffee and a browse of the shops before dinner with family in Devonport.