4th May 2017

The 2nd of May was a beautiful day. I picked Jamie up outside his flat at around 8:15 am, and by 11 am, we were parked at Purple Parking, just a short bus ride from Heathrow Terminal 4.

After enjoying the packed lunch that Sue had kindly prepared, we proceeded through check-in, passport control, and security without a hitch. Our Qatar Airways flight departed on time at 4 pm. Fortunately, the flight wasn’t full, and we each managed to claim a bank of three seats, allowing us to stretch out and catch some sleep.

During our two-hour layover in Qatar, we had ample time to explore the expansive and well-designed terminal. Once again, our flight departed on schedule, and luck remained on our side; we secured two more banks of seats. This proved a sanity-saver for the 16-hour journey ahead. There are only so many films you can watch on board, but having the space to sleep comfortably is a rare luxury in economy class.

The food on both flights was plentiful, though somewhat underwhelming; no culinary highlights to speak of.

We landed just after 4 am in a dark and rainy Auckland. Our rucksacks were among the first to appear on the baggage belt, and before long, we were outside the terminal waiting at the bus stop for the Auckland Skybus into the city. The bus arrived promptly and departed at 5 am. As the few other passengers disembarked well before our stop at the Town Hall terminus, we struck up a conversation with the driver. Kindly, he offered to save us the 20-minute walk to our hotel by dropping us off directly, an offer we gratefully accepted. True to his word, he delivered us to the door. What a wonderful introduction to the warmth and hospitality of New Zealanders.

By 6:30 am, we were checked into the Hotel Grand Chancellor, showered, and tucked up in bed. Though we hadn’t expected to sleep, we both drifted off until 8:30 am, when I woke Jamie.

We had breakfast across the road at a small Chinese café before taking a short walk up the hill to the nearby Sky Tower. From our hotel room window, we’d had a clear view of the tower, illuminated against the night sky when we checked in just a few hours earlier. By morning, the rain had thankfully cleared, leaving us with a sunny, warm, yet breezy day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ticket office for the tower is oddly located two stories below ground, as is the starting point for the incredibly fast elevator ride to the top. We purchased an evening supplement to our ticket for $4, allowing us to revisit the tower later that night. As expected, the views from the highest structure in New Zealand were awe-inspiring. The elevator floor was made of glass, so it was no surprise that the two upper walkways also featured large glass panels to challenge the nerves of the faint-hearted. The clear skies provided a stunning panorama of the Auckland cityscape, with views extending over the surrounding seas and islands. A good way to introduce yourself to the city.

After returning to ground level, we wandered down to the Ferry Port and, after considering taking a sea journey somewhere, we opted instead for a walk to the Auckland Museum, which sits atop an extinct volcano. The walk turned out to be a bit longer than expected, and although our route led us through the University campus on graduation day and though it provided some interest in seeing the gowned students, we were both quite weary by the time we finally arrived. Once there, we explored the extensive indoor Agricultural complex, which included both hot and cold houses, as well as an exotic fernery.