Finally we are settled in, so time to update the blog and let all of you know what to do and not to do whilst flying and getting settled.
After checking in at Manchester International on June 23, 2009, we learned that Emirates is very strict on their luggage allowance. I had to take my (back pack) rucksack and put it in my “purse”(it was really a huge bag, the kind you bring with you to the beach) so that I didn’t have to check it in, pay extra or leave it behind. After checking in with my carry on and “purse”( we checked in 3 bags total and Rowan brought his rucksack with him as his carry on) we purchased a snack, used the restroom and had just enough time to get onto the plane.
On our flight, Emirates was amazing! We were offered free alcohol the entire trip, while other passengers took great advantage of this, Rowan and I only shared one tiny bottle of wine and made use of the free entertainment, hot towels and eye masks.
The food on the flight was amazing, and the treatment of the flight attendants was also superb, I would definitely fly with them again (even though they have such strict limits on luggage, it is well worth it).
We landed in Dubai to a heat wave, we disembarked the plane on the runway and were taken from the tarmac on big buses to the main part of the airport.
Getting back through customs/security we entered into a much cooled building. This terminal is definitely one of the busiest in the world, but oh so air conditioned (thank God). We were able to change our clothes after waiting in line in the restrooms. Thankfully there was two of us and we were able to leave our carry-on’s with the other while each of us used the bathroom, one at a time. After walking around for a bit (so very tired) we were able to find a seats and we waited until we were able to get onto the second plane.
Mind you this is a 32 hour flight in whole. At this point before we got onto the next plane (double-decker air bus) we were very irritable, tired, hungry and in great need of a shower.
While the second flight was not as packed as the first, it was still just as good. We flew from Dubai to Sydney, Australia. We very grumpily went through customs again in Australia and waited for our flight to Auckland, New Zealand.
We then embarked onto the last flight, mean time (while this was the same flight, we still had to disembark the plane go through customs and wait to get back on the plane) I had lost my ticket stub from Dubai to New Zealand, so I had to give Emirates my passport and they were able to procure me a copied ticket so that I could get back on the flight. This flight was not full at all, Rowan and I were allowed to sit comfortably wherever we wanted.
The views were amazing, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the window as we flew over Sydney Bay and over the ocean to New Zealand.
Finally we arrived into Auckland and flying over beautiful New Zealand was so freshening. I thought in my mind, “Wow , our journey is almost over! Only one more plane to go!”
We effortlessly went through customs. The New Zealand Immigration Officers are so friendly and helpful, mind you they never even asked us for proof of anything, they just passed us to go through and stamped our passports with work visas.
Finally we went through Auckland International and walked through to get to Auckland Domestic, while doing so we had to get our bags rechecked into Emirates (Air New Zealand because that is all that flies to Napier.). Emirates/Air New Zealand then told us that we would have to pay $90 NZD extra for our baggage. While we talked with the woman about our bags and tried to get them rechecked, she tehn told us we would need to take our bags straight to domestic because the baggage man had already come and gone to take the bags over to the Domestic Terminal. We did not have to pay for the extra baggage charge. Lucky us!
We walked 15 minutes with 132 lbs of baggage plus our carry-on’s over to Domestic. We threw our bags onto the conveyer belt upon getting into the Terminal and waited for our flight to be called. We found out Rowan was on stand-by and I was not, so we waited together while his ticket was sorted and upon doing so we were the last to get onto the propeller plane. I was given teh last seat on the plane 13B and he was given the first seat on the plane 1B. The flight from Auckland to Napier was only 45 minutes, enough time to read a bit of a free magazine, have a cookie and a cuppa.
Finally we arrived! We met the man from Toad Hall Backpackers and he helped us get our bags and pack us into his caravan. Finally solid ground and looking forward to a shower and a clean bed! We are here New Zealand!
I will say though one more time, Emirates is the best flight I have ever been on(Air New Zealand is a very close second).
More to come of the Backpackers/hostels on the next update.
