Kia Ora (hello),
I met Mrs. and Mr. Charlton in downtown Perth on Thursday
for lunch and to get my backpack. They are wonderful people. It was nice to see
a friendly face from home and hear stories about my group of friends. We ended
up at Cottlesoe Beach for a drink or two and then we parted ways that arvo, me
going to New Zealand and them going to Bali.
Air New Zealand has one of the funniest safety demonstration
videos. I would recommend goggling it or you-tubing it.
My flight was delayed two hours in Perth to Auckland, which
was a hassle. Your not allowed leaving the secured area once you have cleared security.
Not shockingly, there is no food on the security clearance side. I was starving
once I got onto my plane as I hadn’t eaten since lunch. Since I did not
purchase a ticket with meals, I was not fed on the plane either.
The flight to Auckland is seven hours and ten minutes. The
kid next to me puked for six straight hours on a full flight. I was not allowed
to change seats anywhere. It blew. I didn’t end up sleeping on my overnight
flight. The four-hour time difference did not help either. I was not a happy
camper by this point in the travel – no sleep and feeling disgusting.
Since the plane was late leaving Perth, my connecting flight
had left by the time the plane landed. I must say, going through customs in
Auckland was an adventure. I was pulled out by Biohazard New Zealand. I had
dirt on my hiking boots and was made to sanitize them right there in the
airport. I paid an $110NZ fine for having dirt on hiking boots. The also make
me unpack everything and repack it all in front of them.
You actually have to pick your baggage up in Auckland and
personally take it to the domestic airport that is a fifteen-minute walk
outdoors. I ran to make the next flight out to Christchurch. I did not end up
checking my bag on the second flight. My backpack fit above the seat with my
little day bag fitting under the seat.
The flight from Auckland to Christchurch is one of the most
spectacular I have seen. It goes from beach tropics, to farmland, to mountains
comparable to the Rockies, then to farmland again. It is only an hour and spare
change - easy flight actually. Landing in Christchurch was interesting. The
airport is an international airport but it doesn’t fly to Perth, only eastern
states, which should be a three and a half hour flight from there.
I met other Contiki mates when I was checking into the
backpacker motel. The three of us ended up walking around Christchurch. It is
dead here. The earthquake has destroyed the majority of downtown and the fact
it was Good Friday did not help either. The only things open in the city were a
coffee bar, a strip club, and the backpackers’ pub.
The tour starts tonight, which should be interesting. This
time I am staying in quad occupancy rooms.
AFN
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