The security staff at Changi Airport immediately recognised us as terrorists due in no small measure to Maria attempting to get on the plane with an almost deadly bottle of water and compounded by me forgetting I had left a LEE filter screwdriver in my carry on luggage! We were marched to the desk and handed a receipt for my screwdriver whilst Maria's water went straight in the bin.
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| Yet more food! |
Then it was on to a 777-200 which seemed positively tiny after the massive super jumbo we had just been on. It was morning in Singapore, so no sooner had we taken off than we were being served another breakfast. It was 2:30 London time, so that makes 3 breakfasts in the same day...a new personal record.
After breakfast we actually managed to get an hour or so's kip, I think this might have been a bit longer had not a wailing child and the loudest snorer on the planet been working together to produce a somewhat unusual duet. On waking up we were almost immediately greeted with a cup of tea...a sandwich, bag of crisps and some Ferrer Roche - "Stewardess with these chocies you really are spoiling us".
At this point I thought it would be a good idea to check to see if I still had my car keys - yes I did. The only trouble was that they are usually in my pocket next to my wallet....which wasn't in my pocket.
Panic ensues as I dismantle my seat, then lay on the floor to look underneath. I must say if you get a bored moment, you really should look under a motorised fully reclining airline seat, as the engineering down there is superb. Still no sign of the wallet, by now I am panicking like Jonesy in Dads Army. So I ask the nice hostess ladies if I can look in my coat. They were so helpful, not only did they help me look through my coat, but also offered to call back to Singapore airport to see if I had left it on the security conveyor. Finally, on the advice of my very clever wife, I checked my rucksack and the wallet was in there, relief all round. I must have shoved it in the wrong place when I was being marched around security! Sometimes I think I must be the original "Idiot Abroad".
As the sun goes down over the pacific - it's time for our evening meal. Now according to my body clock its 9am Christmas morning but it is 10 at night in Auckland. So it's time for a Christmas dinner. I manage a nibble of 2 of the 5 courses, but as they offer me cheese and biscuits I know how Mr Creosote felt when offered a wafer thin mint!
Auckland airport was a relative breeze as we were reunited with our luggage and even got my screw driver back. We said hello to the drugs dog who had a good sniff of our bags and then it was on to the customs area. Customs seem more interested in if you are a bio hazard than if you are smuggling beer or fags. In our cases were our walking boots, stil with a small amount of mud on them from the UK. In NZ they take this very seriously and the customs man took them away for ages and gave them a thorough clean. Its almost worth the trip to get your boots cleaned that well!
Pick-up from the airport was a breeze with a driver who gave us loads of info about what to do in Auckland. Unfortunately not much of it went in as we were in a haze of jet-lag. Then it was into our 6th floor apartment overlooking the harbour, and so to bed.
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