The NZ Lowdown: Getting There

It's time to document our New Zealand trip! I’ve decided to recount the trip here while it’s fresh in my mind – it’ll serve as a fun reminder of a wonderful vacation whenever I look back on it.

This was my first visit to NZ – a country I’ve always looked forward to seeing, so it felt somewhat surreal to be finally heading there. We set out late afternoon on Friday Jan 7^th from Boston to San Francisco, & I was dreading the long flight out to Auckland since I don’t deal well with overnight international flights when I fly back to my native England – I never sleep, & end up horribly exhausted. The trans-Pacific flight was surprisingly ok though – I think the even longer flight enabled me to have enough time to eat, watch a movie & then snooze every so often, so I definitely didn’t feel as bad on arriving in Auckland as I’d expected to.

Air NZ were also great to fly with. Like with some other airlines, you have your own TV screen & a large choice of movies & TV programs. I found their seats slightly wider than average, and legroom was also slightly increased – definitely helpful for overnight comfort. Their food was also pretty decent, & they were very generous with complimentary wines & beers whenever we wanted them. Most importantly though, the crew was great – extremely pleasant, helpful & fun to chat to, & they even had a concierge on board who was available for the entire flight if passengers had questions about their NZ destination. 

Their Safety Video was also awesome - check it out here, I guarantee it’ll give you a laugh! 

Their luggage restrictions are very strict, but they do state this on their website, & they also reminded me of this when I spoke to them by phone beforehand. Your checked bag cannot exceed 50lb/23kg, so be mindful of this. I typically travel light, so didn’t expect this to be a problem, but my camera gear & tripod took me very close to the limit, so do weigh your bag at home as you’re packing.

Arriving in Auckland on the North Island early Sunday morning on the 9th was lovely – we’d left a cold, snowy Boston, & suddenly it’s balmy & people are wearing shorts. Unbelievably, we’d had no travel hitches, & arrived with plenty of time to navigate through customs & immigration & then on to a different terminal for a connecting flight to Christchurch to begin our South Island adventure.

It felt great to be there – but very odd to have lost Saturday in the meantime!