Our time in Aussie had come to an end. Another early morning start, much too early for the hotel restaurant to be open, so we only had a cuppa in our room. Never mind, we are sure to be eating on the plane. The taxi arrived promptly and whizzed us to the airport, a much quicker trip this time being Saturday morning with not so much traffic around as the night we arrived. Sydney Airport is rather big and bustling, full with tourists all looking for their particular carriers to book in with. As we were, and being Murphy’s Law, the Air New Zealand stand was right down the other end of the concourse. A nice young staff member stepped forward to help us out on the machines – no doubt we were looking rather harassed and elderly by this stage.
With our big bags handed over we then went through the very busy security area: slide passport in, stand on the yellow feet on the floor, look up, and flash, photo taken. Put bags, jackets, everything in your pockets onto the trays to be x-rayed, and finally we were through. The only thing left to do was to go and wait by our boarding gate, pick up a coffee and a paper to while away the time, and wait for the boarding call. And there’s our plane, waiting for us, to whisk us home to New Zealand. And yes, we did have lunch on the plane, but we had to pre-order (and pay) when we booked our flights. Obviously, there is no such thing as a free lunch on these shorter flights.
Landing at Auckland Airport we collected our bags and caught the free bus to the Domestic Terminal. More waiting, of course, but that’s what air travel is all about, isn’t it. Our last plane ride of our trip was taking us to Palmerston North, no air bridge for these regional flights, but a brisk walk over the tarmac, and up the metal steps to board the flight.
It was dark and cold by the time we landed and collected the car from the Long Term Storage area. Once in our little home town we just needed a trip to the supermarket to pick up some milk and something quick for tea, and we were finally home. Holidays are great, but it’s always good to come home safely again. For some added insurance, we had packed a folding walking stick after hurting my knee and needing a visit to the hospital previously in Australia. And we are pleased to report, that just because we had taken it with us, we didn’t need it. Just as we had hoped.
1 comment:
Glad to hear you have arrived home safe and sound. It is quite an adventure negotiating airports. We have all that to look forward to in a couple of weeks.
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