Day 16 - Saturday 20 January 2024
……. When I awoke a couple of hours out from Auckland, breakfast was about to be served (it’s always been said that I’d always wake up for food!); nice steel cutlery in Premium Economy … I didn’t know that was still allowed!
We flew in over the Coromandel peninsula, and landed at
Auckland just 5 minutes late, having made up a lot of the delay en route. I was
able to unload straight after the first and business class passengers (you
know, the ones who turn left when they board), and on the way to passport
control we passed the duty free area, and I stopped to get my New Zealand sim;
I now have internet access and a phone number while I’m in New Zealand!
Through passport control, and another stamp added to the new
passport, then onto the biosecurity checks. In the landing card I had ticked
yes for hiking gear that had been around farm animals, and snorkelling gear (notably
my water shoes). The water shoes were fine, but I was passed on to another
officer to deal with my hiking shoes. I had to unload them, and then they had
the soles washed with something before being put back in their bags and sealed
with official tape. The rest of my bags were x-rayed, and after repacking the shoes I
was through all of the formalities and into New Zealand.
First stop was at Eze car hire to see if it would cause a
problem if I turned up early for my car (the stated pickup time is 12:00, but
I’d prefer 09:00). If I turned up this early, there would be no car for me as
they are bought to the collection area shortly before pick up time. This isn’t
something they can change locally, so it will have to be done through my
booking agent; Hays therefore have a mail asking for this to be done.
Then out to the Sky Drive bus stop; I timed this well and
only waited for 5 minutes; 40 minutes later I was dropped off at Sky City, and
made the 400 metre walk to the hotel, arriving just after 09:00. I had asked
via their online form whether an early check in may be possible, but had never
received a response. They were full last night therefore nothing is available now, so
I left my luggage in their secure room and went out exploring.
I walked back to Sky City, and there were a few tempting things; there is a Weta Workshop Unleashed which looks great and there is the All Blacks Experience, but I felt a bit fuzzy after a night of travel, so decided that I’d explore the Sky Tower.
This we well worth the effort; up the equivalent of 51 floors to the viewing deck in a lift that had a glass bottom, then a further lift took me up to the equivalent of 60 floors high and the Sky Deck. It was a little hazy to begin with, but while I enjoyed the view and worked out my bearings the haze cleared and I was left with magnificent views. A quick lunch, then back to the hotel at around 13:00 to see whether there was any news regarding the room. I was in luck, and was checked into room 708.
All unpacked, and I have a washing machine, so I set a load going. A few minutes later I wandered through and the kitchen area tiles are flooded with the washing machine is making odd noises. Down to reception to report this and they said they’ll send someone. It’s stopped making all noises now, and there are just a couple of flashing red lights …. and the door opens so my laundry isn't trapped! The hotel have said they'll do my laundry for me as the machine appears to be kaput, so that's been picked up.
The afternoon was spent pretty much catching up with blogs and vlogs; my mind was a bit fuzzy, so I fully expect loads of grammar and spelling errors to have snuck in. I've also made some decisions about how I spend my time in Auckland. Tomorrow I'm just going to have an explore and perhaps try the things I gave a miss today, then on Monday I've booked tickets to Rangitoto Island and a hike up an extinct (I hope) volcano. Tuesday I have a city tour booked.
Just a snack for dinner, and I headed for bed at just before 21:00 to make up for the recent lack of sleep.
One final thing; the week 2 vlog is ready and loaded onto YouTube, and can be found here:-
I hope you enjoy it.
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