|
|
INTRODUCTION As I've done in the recent past, I am writing an all-in-one travelogue including both the land travel and the air flight reviews. This is instead of posting a separate review just on the air travel for my fellow aviation fans out there. In December of 2005, Timothy won this trip at our company holiday party as a give away. We probably would not have opted to travel to New Zealand voluntarily at any time in the near future so this was a bit of a fast forward treat for us. We've traditionally only traveled to Europe and may have continued to do so without this motivation to go elsewhere. I didn't know what to expect in terms of travel time and jet lag in flying down to New Zealand. The overall flight and transit experience turned out to be much less stress than I had anticipated but still proved to be long days traveling each way. |
 |
We
departed on Thursday, October 12th from Sea-Tac Airport on Alaska
Airlines flight 570 for Los Angeles. The transition from the
domestic terminal in Los Angeles to the Tom Bradley international
terminal was relatively simple and required just a quick outdoor
walk. We were fortunate to have our luggage checked through to
Auckland given that Alaska Airlines and Qantas are partners. Darkness had already fallen in Los Angeles as we got in the queue to check in for Auckland. There was a bit of confusion as to which queue went to which terminal and our patience in the wait was very much appreciated by the reservations staff member who checked us in. We inquired about our seats to see if we could get an exit row. She asked us if the 'upper deck' was okay as exits were available. Both of our jaws dropped and we attempted to maintain a bit of composure as we had just realized that we were upgraded to business class! |
 |
Subsequently,
we were invited to utilize the premium lounge which required a bus ride
out to what seemed to be a newly constructed building. We enjoyed
some beverages, made some last-minute domestic phone calls, and then
caught a bus to head back to the international terminal. The lounge is
shared by other carriers such as Singapore Airways. Singapore had
a staff member summon passengers for their outbound flight with a
sign an a bell - modestly signaling that it was time to go. We were soon at our gate to board flight 26 non-stop for Auckland, New Zealand. Given that we had priority boarding, we decided to take advantage of it and get settled in to our seats. Only one jet way was used to board passengers and, upon boarding the jet, we proceeded upstairs to the upper deck. This particular flight was aboard a 747-400 'Longreach'. |
 |
I was
pleased to explore all of the features of the Skybeds. The seats
fully recline into a sleeping position and there are many adjustments
that can be made to change the position of the legs, feet, back,
etc. There is even an in-seat massage function. In-flight amenities kits, bottled water, headphone (Bose noise canceling), blankets, and pillows were all out when we sat down. Given that we did not have any storage space beneath the seat in front of us (as we did not have one) it was great to have storage bins beneath the windows where we could place our bags. The flight crew provided us pre-flight beverages and we were shortly getting seated to depart from Los Angeles. I could already tell that the flight crew on Qantas would be one of the friendliest and most service-oriented that I'd experience. As we departed the gate, the flight crew was unable to get the automatic video and audio safety demonstration running properly so the customer service manager (i.e. purser/head attendant) read off the instructions and we had two attendants on the upper deck give the manual demonstration. They then took their seats directly opposite from us at the starboard side exit door. |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
This
girl had a beautifully soft take off from the runway and it was
obvious that we were flying heavy. We had already been given menus
for both dinner and breakfast to read. The breakfast menus are
collected prior to the completion of dinner so that breakfast is ready
by morning based upon what we selected. Aside from a wonderful wine collection, I chose to have a toasted chicken mayonnaise while Timothy had a large bowl of Wonton soup. He didn't particularly care for his and would have chosen something else. Wine was free-flowing throughout dinner and dessert and we were also completely immersed in the personal entertainment system that offered a wide variety of programming. As cabin 'night' began to fall, lighting created just the right mood. As dinner began to wind down, the cabin lighting gradually dimmed and changed colours to deep lavenders tones. One barely even detects the change but as it began to get just dark enough, I noticed. |
 |
I
found this cabin lighting system to be just ingenious and I had never
experienced that before on any other flights. Conversely, the
system is also used appropriately when breakfast is served and the
completion of the flight nears. |
 |
|
 |
The
customs and immigration staff members were quite friendly and welcoming
which is quite a pleasant surprise compared to United States facilities. It was interesting to already see Maori traditional works of art in the airport as we proceeded to claim our luggage and make our way out. We had not yet arranged a transfer to the city so we needed to purchase a ticket to do so. An approximately forty-minute ride got us to our hotel in downtown Auckland, the Mercure Hotel Windsor. The location is quite good in terms of getting around the city to see the major attractions. |
 |
Given
how much we had rested on the flight, we were relatively awake and were
able to head out into the city after showering and changing. Of
all places to go, we found a Starbucks and had a beverage and snack for
lunch. The pastries available there were a bit different from that
which I am accustomed in the United States. We found this
throughout New Zealand as each retailer customizes their offerings to
the local tastes. We did not have too much on our agenda on this day as we had expected to be sleeping all day. One activity that we had already confirmed was a harbor and dinner cruise for that evening. We stopped by their office on the waterfront to confirm our reservations and to specify what we'd like for dinner. In conjunction with our harbor cruise, we gained admittance into the New Zealand National Maritime Museum. We spent some time there before heading out to walk around more of the city. |
 |
Perhaps
the most well-known structure in Auckland is the Sky Tower which is part
of Sky City.
At 328 meters (1,076 feet), the Sky Tower is the tallest tower in the
Southern Hemisphere. For months before our trip, Timothy was
threatening that he was going to do the jump from the Sky Tower.
Well, I was not having it and already professed that I would not do
that. Let's say that I have a relatively healthy fear of heights,
especially when it comes to be atop a building and being outdoors. For some reason on this particular afternoon, I changed my mind and decided that I needed to do it right then and there. I had it in my mind that I needed to overcome this fear and I would not have rested the remainder of the day had I not done it. We shyly walked into their booking office just to see what it would involve. Before we could slyly walk away and leave, we were suited up and had paid the jump fee. Needless to say, as soon as my credit card processed my heart was racing and so much was going through my head. The more we walked through the facilities and took the lift up to the jump platform, I thought that I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I maintained composure for the sake of my public appearance but in reality, I really did think that my knees were going to buckle. |
 |
We get
up to the jump platform and the staff greets us. Timothy goes
first and walks out to the platform area where they give him a briefing
and secure his harness. Timothy loves to know everything technical
about an operation before he does it so he was asking about how the
cable worked, etc. etc. They finally nudged him to go and my mind
was racing a mile a minute. I watched him walk out onto the jump
platform and they began a 3-2-1 countdown that was supposed to motivate
you to just walk off of the edge. Timothy had a little bit of
reservation and did a half step off while holding onto one of the bars
before he eventually did jump. Once he was gone, I was in complete panic as I knew that it was my turn and that there was no turning back. I refused to let myself give up here and be one of their chickens. |
 |
I
was hearing loud music and the staff talking to me but it was really
just a whirlwind in my mind of already racing thoughts. The female
was going to operate the equipment for my jump and the guy walked me out
to the edge. Especially after seeing Timothy go, I was determined
to make this an instant jump and not look back. We had a photo
taken and he proceeded to his '3-2-1' call. As I promised myself,
I walked right off the edge and screamed. They stop you briefly to
take a photo while you are suspended. Almost instantly from when
the camera clicked, I felt myself drop and I was screaming like crazy! Before I could even think about it, though, I felt myself slowing down and reached the base platform. It was an incredible feeling of accomplishment, however, and I was so happy to have done it. As a joke, one of the staff had said into the radio 'I think we have a chicken' so Timothy actually thought that I backed out of it. Moving on to a
slower-paced activity next, we decided to go back up into the tower
again. This time, though, we would just be using the observation
deck and taking photos from there. We sat in the café and had a
snack and drink while we watched others making the Sky Jump from the
deck above us. It was quite entertaining to watch the others do
what we had just completed. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
After
our big day of adventures, it was about time for our 'Pride of Auckland'
harbor and dinner cruise. This was truly a great way to see the skyline
of Auckland by sea. We had fantastic views of the skyline with the
sunset and then later on as the city lit up. We sailed out to a
marina where we stopped and enjoyed our dinner. After dinner, we sailed out into the harbor and beneath the Auckland Bridge. It was quite chilly outside so I put on a jacket that was provided by the company. I then even had the opportunity to help steer the boat. Timothy took some photos of me but they are not all that flattering, especially with the triple extra large sized dress that they gave me which was supposed to be a jacket. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Our
first day in Auckland was not over there! We had heard about an ice bar in Auckland called 'Minus 5' and it was just intriguing enough for us to give it a try. After selecting how many beverages we would like inside, we got all suited up in cold weather wear and headed into the bar. It is not so much a bar where one just hangs out and socializes but rather an attraction to have the drinks and take photos. It's easy to get cold quickly and I had to leave to warm up a bit and then come back in as I had another drink coupon to use. Everything is ice, even the glasses! They are supposedly used just once and they are all made new in the bar. It is a very impressive venue and offers many photo taking opportunities. After leaving 'Minus 5', warming up, and walking around a bit, we decided to head back to the hotel and finally wrap up our first day in New Zealand. We had gotten quite a bit accomplished already in just the first day, which was nice. |
 |
|
 |
Sunday,
October 15th, 2006
I was very much
anticipating our first wine tasting adventure. Being as much of a
wine lover as I am, I've never gone wine tasting except for experiencing
the wine caves in Marseilles, France. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
We had expected to
go out and see some of the nightlife while in Auckland but we quickly
discovered that things close up very quickly on Sunday evenings. I
had expected that there would be at least some restaurants that would
stay open past nine o'clock or so but this didn't seem to be the
case. We tried a variety of restaurants in hope of getting a table
but as time went on, the options began to run out. We finally had
dinner along the Viaduct at around ten o'clock or so and even they were
beginning to close up. I then enjoyed some drinks at an Irish pub
at the Viaduct while Timothy decided to head back to the hotel. |
|
 |
Tuesday,
October 17th, 2006 |
 |
|
 |
After
leaving Kelly Tarlton's we got in the car and began our drive south
toward Waitomo. We made a brief stop at the Auckland International
Airport. When we arrived, we were given an arrivals magazine that
had a savings coupon for activities we would be doing later in the trip.
Our coupon was missing, however, so we returned to the airport in hope
of getting another. The trick was that this magazine was given out
only before you reach the baggage claim and exit so we had to somehow
finagle a copy. We spoke with a lady in an information booth who
had a co-worker grab us one so that was great.
We also made a stop at One Tree Hill which is a dormant volcanic cone and once the site of the largest pre-historic Maori settlement in the region. It was named after the solitary tree which was planted on its summit in 1640. Surrounding the hill is Cornwall Park. |
 |
|
 |
The
obelisk atop One Tree Hill was originally erected for Auckland's
centenary celebrations in 1940 and it formed part of the bequest of Sir
John Campbell to commemorate his admiration of the achievements and
character of the great Maori people. As we drove back down and prepared for our journey to Waitomo, we began to spot many sheep roaming in the grass. We would see many, many more sheep throughout our trip in New Zealand but it was new to me so I was excited! We got out of the car and took some pictures of them close up. After several hours of driving south, we arrived at Waitomo by early evening. We stayed at the Waitomo Caves Hotel which was probably one of the most humble properties we occupied throughout our stay in New Zealand. We had dinner at the Morepork Pizzeria and then played pool at a pub nearby. Aside from that, we did not do too much else aside from preparing for an early morning the following day. |
 |
Wednesday,
October 18th, 2006
We had an early
start on this day for our journey to Waitomo Caves. We participated in
the 'Lost World Epic
Adventure'. We met our guides in the
tour office and were soon in a van with them heading out to the
site. It was truly remarkable how all one can see is rolling hills
and knowing that beneath them is an expansive cave system. After
gearing up, though, we walked among these hills and found ourselves at
the point of entrance. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
The
real adventure would begin just after lunch. I knew that it would
be a full day adventure but didn't really know all that I was in
for. I definitely enjoy some good, physical activity but this was
some of a truly different sort. The tour, in general, involved a
lot of climbing and balancing along craggy rocks and quite a bit of
water as well. I just did not seem to have a good sense of balance
on this particular day and did a lot of falling down onto the
rocks. I did a good number to my knees, that was for sure.
Those who are adept at balancing along rocks and maneuvering along short
distance gaps would do very well here.
At other points, we had a jump or two to make into water. One, in particular, involved sliding myself through a six foot hole and dropping into water. This was all in complete blackness as well. After putting faith in the system and making the jump, one ends up beneath the water and paddling oneself to the surface. The lights then went back on so that we could swim over to a ledge. The only light that was available to us beneath the caves were the ones on our helmets. |
 |
Another
interesting maneuver involved crawling through a small opening and
sliding through. It was not too far of a distance but it can be a
challenge for those who are claustrophobic and do not like being pinned
under a surface that one cannot move. Throughout the whole trip,
our guides Dee and Ian would capture photos of us. After several hours of climbing, jumping, and swimming, the grand finalé was a large auditorium of glow worms. We turned off our helmet lights and just gazed up at hundreds and hundreds of glow worms. This was truly fascinating and a nice reward after a long day of work. Admittedly, I was more than ready for this adventure to be over. I was tired out and tired of banging up my knees. Timothy, on the other hand, loved it and said that he would do it again in a heartbeat. We had a bit of a walk from the caves to our change site and then our guides had another surprise for us. They prepared us a barbecue that we all enjoyed before we headed back in the van to the main town area. |
 |
|
 |
After
we completed the tour in full, we retrieved our CD of photos that had
been taken throughout the day. We then began making a drive to
Hamilton where we had our next overnight. We stayed at the Rydges
Le Grand Hamilton and had just one evening here. We took a nice
walk around Hamilton and watched a rowing team complete their practice
along a river alongside the downtown area. This was of particular
interest to Timothy as rows in Seattle. We then found a Japanese
restaurant and had dinner there. I enjoyed some beverages at Leonard's Bar in our hotel and watched a Bee Gees concert on a large flat-panel television. It was also fun to make some conversation and watch overhear some of the locals as well. I enjoyed Hamilton, for what we saw. The following morning we had breakfast in the hotel lobby restaurant and then began our drive to Rotorua. |
 |
On our drive to Rotorua, we stopped off at Matamata where the Hobbiton movie set is from the movie, 'Lord of the Rings'. It turned out to be a bit pricey for what we would actually see so we decided to drive on. One thing that Timothy absolutely had wanted to do, however, was the 'Zorb' at the Agrodome in Rotorua. This involved Timothy climbing into a large ball that was partially filled with water. He was then rolled down the hill as he tumbled and sloshed around to the end. It was slightly cool on this day so I decided to just watch from the side lines. |
 |
Timothy
did two runs and the second involved going down a course, of
sorts. After he zig-zagged down the hill in the 'Zorb', he had his
photo taken a couple of times and then he dried off. He had a fun
time despite having a bit of a kink in his neck from the final roll
down. We then explored the Agrodome a bit and went through some souvenir shops. The predominant souvenirs here were wool creations. This emphasized the industry of sheep shearing which takes place at the Agrodome. We stayed at the Royal Lakeside Novotel in Rotorua. I really liked this property as it seemed to be like new. Later in the day we went to 'The Buried Village'. This venue is a living demonstration of how the village of Te Wairoa was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. While much is re-enacted here, there are several areas that are preserved from their original state, which was quite fascinating. |
 |
|
 |
There
is an interactive museum that illustrates the eruption and the aftermath
thereof. Walking through the sites also took us to the Te Wairoa
waterfalls, which was also very impressive. The entire story was pretty touching and gave various perspectives of the eruption that spread along a ten mile area and killed 153 people. The roar of the explosion could be heard in Christchurch and Auckland. Before we had dinner that night, we visited Hell's Gate which is very active with volcanic activity. We had the opportunity to explore quite a bit of geothermal activity. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
We
explored the area during sunset which was spectacular and created
intriguing effects along the geothermal hot spots. In terms of the
overall attractions that we saw in New Zealand, this was one of the most
impressive to me. I was just intrigued to actually be seeing such
effects created by the earth right before our very eyes. I had
also really not seen effects like this before in my life so it was
definitely something new. After exploring geothermal activity restricted just to viewing, we got to experience it for ourselves! We opted to enjoy the mud bath and spas of the Wai Ora Spa. We took a mud bath where we got to paint and smear ourselves with mud. After spending about fifteen minutes in the mud bath, we then moved over to a sulphur bath. This was only after we were required to rinse all of the mud off ourselves and it was in an ice cold shower. After getting out of a nice, warm mud bath and stepping into cold air, this was quite the shock. Much like a lot of Rotorua, the scent of the sulphur bath was that of rotten eggs. It sounds disgusting but it actually grows on you after a while. The sulphur bath is said to have many detoxifying and healing powers as well. |
 |
After
returning to our hotel and changing, we headed out to dinner at the Pig
& Whistle. This was a lively pub and restaurant where we
had dinner and watched the locals in their element. The Pig &
Whistle was originally built in 1940 as a local police station.
Starting in 1969, it was then used as a probation office and a city
market until 1993. At that time, it was then retrofitted to be the
restaurant and pub that we experienced.
I enjoyed a glass of wine and began to already surmise that I took very well to New Zealand wines. I would discover this in much more detail later on in the trip, however. |
 |
Friday,
October 20th, 2006 On this particular morning we had breakfast in the hotel lobby restaurant. It was a bit pricier than it really needed to be but we enjoyed it. We then made our way back to the Agrodome with the plan of viewing a sheep show. Admittedly I really did not know what to expect and, with that uncertainly, really wasn't all that much expecting anything impressive. Well, very shortly into the demonstration, I was really enjoying it and found the sheep to be so cute! The gentleman who was leading the show was extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable which really added to the experience. He introduced all of the sheep and also did a demonstration of shearing a sheep. Again, this was something that I had never really experienced before so it was fun to see. |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
I took
some video clips with my camera and they turned out to be quite
entertaining. I have uploaded the video clips into You Tube :
Video
1 & Video 2 |
 |
That
said, however, we did experience some geyser activity that we previously
had not seen. We began exploring Te Puia with a guided tour and
then ventured off on our own to explore the geothermal springs and
geysers. The geyser activity was low to moderate when we first
arrived but eventually became quite active and impressive. Upon completing our walk throughout Te Puia, we waited a bit before the highlight of the day which was the Maori culture performance. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
A
traditional welcome begins the performance where we gathered outside and
were greeted outside of the Marae where the presentation would take
place. We then followed the appointed chief (someone appointed
from the crowd of visitors) and walked up to the Marae. We were
required to remove our shoes and then we made our way inside for the
performance. I found the performance to be impressive and quite moving. It slightly reminded me of some of the native displays that I had experienced in Hawai'i but this definitely had its own flavor. Volunteers were requested from the crowd and I had become one of them! We were taught some basic actions that were used to fend off enemies. |
 |
The
Maori people are very kind and friendly and the moves that they
demonstrated against enemies were more intended to scare them away than
anything. We witnessed two different types of song and dance : • The 'poi' is dance with graceful movements and is restricted to only women • The 'haka' is a war dance performed by men. Eyes and tongues protrude in a gesture of defiance. I also captured a few videos while at the Maori culture performance at 'Te Puia' : Video 1, Video 2, Video 3 |
 |
|
 |
In the
afternoon of the 20th, we returned to the hotel and found a launderette
where we could catch up on laundry. We then had dinner at an
Indian restaurant before topping the evening off with dessert and a
drink back at the Pig & Whistle. Saturday, October 21st, 2006 On our final morning in Rotorua, we had breakfast at Valentine's buffet. This left a bit to be desired in terms of quality and selection but it served its purpose. We then had some time remaining before we need to head to the airport to catch our flight bound for Christchurch on the south island. |
 |
|
 |
We
walked along the waterfront in Rotorua and eventually made our way to
Government Gardens. This was a very lovely area where we examined
and photographed a variety of beautiful flowers. The Gardens provide facilities for bowls, croquet, petanque, and golf. We witnessed some some playing croquet as we walked along. The stop to Government Gardens was a wonderful interim activity before we headed back to the hotel so that we could pick up our luggage and proceed to the Rotorua Regional Airport. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
I
enjoyed my time at the Rotorua Regional Airport to be able to witness
air carriers that normally operate large, long-haul aircraft in the
United States with their smaller regional jets. We had time to
spare in the airport so I watched the preparation, boarding, and
take-off of a Qantas 737. The entire time I was expecting to be flying an Air New Zealand propeller aircraft and I was wishing that we would get to experience a jet for my first time with the airline. Well, much to my surprise, we did get to experience 737-300 service with Air New Zealand. |
 |
|
 |
I took
some photos outside of the jet hoping to be able to submit them for
publication online. They did not turn out to be the highest
quality that I had anticipated to be published on sites such as
jetphotos.net but I can at least include them here! I snapped
photos away while boarding the jet and then up until I sat down on the
plane. It was a relatively short flight from Rotorua to Christchurch so there were not too many in-flight services offered. There were open seats so Timothy and I were able to get rows to ourselves. Timothy found the air staff to be a bit curt. I just blamed it on the fact that it was local, domestic service and it was still better service than that which we would experience in the United States on a domestic flight. |
 |
Nonetheless,
I was happy to have experienced Air New Zealand for the first
time. I poured through the airline magazine to check out the
services and aircraft that they operate internationally. It was
interesting to see just how widespread their international service is
and I never realized that they flew to San Francisco and London. A task of mine throughout our trip to New Zealand was to collect magazines and local literature for my mom who enjoys such material. I collected two copies of the Air New Zealand magazine, one for myself and one for my mom. |
| On to the South Island! | |
