Day Three - The Arrival

So after getting the good news, I spent a few hours in Abu Dhabi trying to sleep. I'd been up for around 42 hours, and whilst adrenaline and general uncomfortable conditions had kept me awake for so long, I was very conscious of the health benefits of actually trying to get some sleep before boarding a 13 hour flight. Airplanes are not comfy, and i knew once I got aboard I'd find sleep hard to find.

The problem is airports are very similar. It's like they do their best to prevent anyone getting comfortable - plastic chairs, constant announcements and airport cleaning crews all did their very best to stop me sleeping.

So I went for a wander.

Through security,  Abu Dhabi has very little in the way of food and drink - but they do have an art exhibition. Crazy 3D sculpts of Islamic scriptures that when they have light shone on them from a certain angle, casts a shadow that looks like a man praying. Incredibly cool and mind boggling.

So 6 hours after getting the good news I was boarding a plane to Sydney. Unfortunately due to Australia's strict airline security policies, our bags hand luggage had to be opened up and inspected at the gate (as well as x-rayed at both ends when going through security). All in all,  individually inspecting everyones luggage took over an hour and the flight was considerably delayed. Not good, when you only have a two hour window to get your next flight...!

By now I'd been up 48 hours and was hoping to get some sleep on the plane... but not too much; as it happened, the final plane would land in Sydney at 14.30. By the time the wife arrived at 17.30 and we'd gotten to the hotel it would be the natural time for bed. If i could remain sleepy until that time, then I just might avoid jet lag. Maybe.

So I got on the flight.  It was 13 hours in total, and around 10pm Sydney time. I resolved to stay up until Midnight, sleep for 8 hours, and be wide awake and refreshed come Sydney morning.  Jet lag avoided!

Then three sets of parents got on the plane,  all with new born, and all three of them sat on the bulkhead seats with the extra legroom and cot facilities. I was sat one row behind.

There goes the idea of sleep.

The babies cried. A lot.  They cried on takeoff, they cried at every bit of turbulence, they cried when other babies cried,  and they cried just for the normal stuff that babies cry about. When they weren't crying they were playing. Noisily.

Anyway, 13 hours later I arrived at Sydney and began the rush to the next plane; they were already boarding the Christchurch plane even before the Sydney one had landed. I had 50 minutes to get the planed towed to where it need to be,  disembark, board the shuttle, go through security and find the gate. It was going to be tight.

Fortunately I wasn't alone. There must have been 30 of us on the plane all trying to get to Christchurch. Some of us (like me) already had boarding passes given to us at Abu Dhabi, others didn't, and had the added stress of finding the transit desk to pick up the next set of tickets. Feeling generous,  I took a few of their names, and promised to tell the attendants at the gate to wait for them.

I barely made it. I'd been awake for 60+ hours, and the run to the gate was not pleasant. I also stank, so who knows what the attendant thought of me.

Anyway, I eagerly handed over my boarding pass to be told it wasn't valid. This was an Etihad ticket, and i was now flying Air New Zealand.  It was ok, they said, all I needed to do was find the Transit Desk and they'd issue me with a new Boarding Card. BUT I NEEDED TO DO IT NOW.

D'oh.

So I ran back to the Transit Desk to find the same people who I'd taken names from all in the queue in front of me. All of them being told they couldn't board the next flight as it was too late for check-in. They were very angry, and understandably so. It wasn't their fault the flight was delayed!

Fearing the worst,  I approached the desk expecting to be told the same thing - but no! My Etihad ticket meant I was already checked-in! All I needed was a new Air New Zealand ticket printing instead.  Phew.

New ticket in hand, I gave condolences to the stranded people, and flew to the gate.

The flight was great! It had cheesy Lord of the Rings safety messages (you have to see Gandalf telling you how to brace to truly appreciate it), and a hot girl sat next to me. She had bought a cheap ticket and wasn't allowed food, so after she'd finished arguing about it with the air hostess I offered her my fruit and biscuits.

Three hours later, I breathed in the New Zealand air. Yeah baby!

Security was a breeze, I got a visa nice and easy, and then waited forever for my luggage that never arrived. To be honest I was expecting it. Too much had gone wrong on the flights for them to route the luggage properly. It could've been on the original flight to Melbourne,  could still be in Abu Dhabi,  or it could have been stuck in Sydney cos they didn't have enough time to unload and reload it.

I filed a report, bought a NZ sim for my phone, and waited for Yo.

A few hours later we were reunited with hugs, kisses, and commiserations that we'd both lost our luggage. Again, I wasn't overly surprised.

Happily together again (though smelly and exhausted), we went in search of a bus to take us to the first of our apartments... 72 Marine Parade, Christchurch.