Sher Online

Yes, that was a long trip! The first flight from DFW left at 5:13 PM. We arrived at the airport in Christchurch at about 2:30 PM Central Time, then another hour or so to the hotel. So all things (to/from the airports) considered, it was about a 24-hour stretch of travel.

All the flights went smoothly. First stop was Houston to meet up with my travel buddy, Diana. (We’ll be roomies for two weeks, visiting New Zealand’s south island. Then she returns to Denver while I tour the north island.) Couple of hours of layover, then we boarded the flight to Auckland. Our seats were 8 rows apart and on the opposite sides of the plane. We ended up not even visiting during the 15-hour flight, and here’s why. They’ve got things planned really well!

The flight left at 8:30 PM Central. In economy, the seat configuration is 3 on each side and four in the middle, so there are a lot of people to settle in. Once we’re all in place and getting acquainted with our surroundings and neighbors, then we take off. About an hour into the flight, they serve dinner, during which and most folks are watching movies or reading. After dinner, they turn out the lights and soon most everyone is sleeping, or at least trying to!

A couple of hours from arrival, they turn on the lights, serve breakfast, and then we’re pretty much there. Done! So not a lot of time for visiting.

I have to put in a word about the amenities on the flight. First, the food was really good. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten a meal on a plane that my memory is kind of fuzzy, but I remember airplane food used to be fodder for many a joke, and deservedly so. But these meals were in a whole different category. Very tasty.

And then there’s the console, which is essentially an entertainment computer at your seat. All kinds of movies–take your pick of any and as many as you like. Music, games, flight map, and lots of other things I didn’t have time to explore. When I tried watching a couple of movies and they didn’t start, I was able to send a message to the flight crew about the problem. They remotely rebooted the computer for my seat and voila–problem fixed!

All of this made the flight much more enjoyable than it could have been. There’s certainly no getting around the fact that it’s tough sitting in one place for so long and trying to sleep sitting up, but I think I managed a few hours. Enough anyway to set me up for the coming day, which as I write this, is about to end in a long night’s sleep in an actual bed. Hooray!

After that flight’s arrival in Auckland, we made it through baggage claim, customs, X-ray, biohazard check, then finally on to the domestic terminal and the flight to Christchurch. Baggage claim again, then a taxi to our hotel. Check in, a bit of walking and shopping (and figuring out the Metro bus service!), an afternoon nap, then dinner, then back to the hotel, and finally to bed. I’m tuckered, folks, and turning in shortly.

Tomorrow the actual trip starts. The first day is supposed to be a relatively slow one. We could have actually arrived a day later and been picked up at the aiport for the tour start, but we decided to get in early and be rested for the start.

Altogether an eventful day, with a lot of carrying of heavy bags (OMG, what was I thinking packing all this stuff?!). First impressions? Everyone, and I mean everyone, is friendly and helpful. The place is beautiful: clean, green, picturesque. Today was cloudy and cool (temps mid-60s) but it’s supposed to warm up into the 70s over the next few days. Good!

The pictures are of the hotel where we’re staying tonight and Diana in the door of our room (lucky 13!).

Goodnight all. More next time WiFi is available.