New Zealand Discoverer
Travel Days Part 2 – 24/25 February 2012
Well, there was plenty of room in the overhead for my backpack and I also got the best seatmate imaginable.
And no, it wasn’t a guitar.
It was better.
It was empty!
Yes!
Nothing like a 12 hour flight with no one next to you. And it was a full flight. A full 747. It boggles the mind that something so large and heavy can get up to 30,000 feet. I can’t imagine getting on a 780.
Especially with all the reports of cracks in the wing ribs.
I like Air New Zealand. The movie selection was pretty good. Seventy-two to choose from. I watched In Time, The Debt and The Iron Lady.
We got dinner – macaroni and cheese with chicken with a really nice chocolate dessert. I don’t drink, but it looks like the alcohol was free. All the better to put everyone to bed with. They even went around after offering more wine.
Sleep, passengers, sleep!
I set my watch ahead, trying to get myself as close to sleeping on NZ time, so I had a Coke with dinner and the caffeine worked its magic. I didn’t fall asleep until 9:30 and got a good two or three hours of solid sleep then an off and on couple more hours. They woke us up at 2:15 for breakfast. Just right for my stomach.
We landed 20 minutes early into Auckland. Despite being told that my luggage was checked through, I still had to pick it up and do the walk through customs, say hello to the officers and then drop it off again. The customs officer asked me one peculiar question – did I have any hiking boots with me? Not sure why…worried about foreign soil getting stuck in the treads, perhaps?
I showed her my hiking sneakers on my feet. That’s all I have.
So she waved me on to drop off that luggage, then I had to follow the not quite precise signs to the transfer to the Domestic Terminal.
I just followed everyone else.
And stood there on the curb looking to my left waiting for the bus.
Everyone else was looking to their right.
Oops.
In the Domestic Terminal we had to wait for security to show up to let us through. I had to augment my breakfast with a Coke with the hope that I can stay awake all day today and crash at 7 or 8 pm. If I can do that, I can be over the jet lag by the time the tour starts.
Oh, did I mention it cost $7 for a Coke and a Kit Kat. And internet is $10 for 45 minutes in the Auckland airport.
Quick flight to Christchurch. Bumpy and cloudy for most of it but it cleared off nicely as we came in for landing. I could see a lot of flat farmland with the Alps in the distance – some with snow.
I thought I left that behind! LOL
Into Christchurch and I found the courtesy phone for the Sudima hotel and was picked up. I had a hard time understanding what she was saying over the phone. The driver found me and dropped me off then followed me inside as if expecting a tip.
I thought there was no tipping here? Or did he sense “a North American!” I had no NZ money small enough on me yet anyway.
The Sudima hotel is a basic airport hotel. Still uses real keys!
It has all the amenities. TV (8 channels), kettle, fridge, iron and board, shampoo stuff, and wifi (charge of $10 for a full day but I got it for $5 since she couldn’t get it to take the former. For that I get 1 gig.)
And I get a balcony!
Which means I can dry my jeans in a day. So, rather than succumb to the desperate need for sleep, I did laundry. I gave up on the idea of doing the wildlife park. Too far and I need to freshen up then I’ll go out to see the Antarctic centre next door. I called my transfer for tomorrow and the delightful gentleman on the other end said he’d pick me up at 9 am and said he has a number of others to pick up as well.
I made myself some tea and sat back to surf, write this tale, upload photos and watch Discovery channel. I’m getting my second wind now and look forward to checking out the Antarctic Centre.
The penguins get fed at 3:30.
Well, I managed to spend a full four hours a International Antarctic Centre. For $65 (a bit steep but understandable given what they have to maintain), I got a ride in a Hagglund over some steep inclines. Pretty cool. Make the track a little longer and that alone would warrant most of the admission fee.
I took some video as well that can be viewed here and here.
They also offer a 4D experience showing ships and ice in Antarctica. When a ship would go down into the trough of a wave, we’d get sprayed with water. And every time a ship hit a piece of ice, our chairs shook. Pretty cute.
I also tried the storm room where it’s a constant minus eight.
Did I mention it was minus ten when I left home.
Heh.
Once you’re in there, they spin up the fans to bring the temps down to minus eighteen.
It’s a dry cold too.
And the snow even squeaks. Yeah, looked like real snow in there. They have you put on boot rubbers so that you don’t track in dirt over the snow.
I walked out and the attendant asked what it was like and I said “just like home.”
Then I saw a large screen that showed some amazing scenery from Antarctica. Imagine the Grand Canyon in ice. Amazing.
Then it was time to visit the penguins. They have about two dozen little blue penguins that they take in if they’re injured in some way and can’t go back to the wild.
There’s a viewing room above the pool and below the pool.
I took video that can be viewed here, here and here.
The attendant called them all by name as she feed them.
Cute factor overload!
By 4 pm I was burnt. I picked up a couple of fridge magnets and crawled back to the hotel next door. I’m so tired, I’m actually giddy. I got everything ready for the transfer tomorrow and plan on hitting the sack by 7 or 8. Hard with a beautiful sun streaming in from outside.
Oops…just got kicked off the internet….
Go to Day One
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