Ka kite Aotearoa
I opted for an early morning start to ensure that I had plenty of time to get to Auckland in case of flight delays/cancellations, meaning my day was “sponsored” by Air New Zealand - first off a mimosa 🥂 and breakfast in the koru lounge at Palmerston North airport. Fortunately, there were no issues and it was a smooth flight to Auckland. With 12 hours until my next flight and the weather being dry I decided to walk to the international terminal. They’ve done a great job of making the walk sheltered and enjoyable during their construction.
After such a great experience last time, I again checked in at the premium check in and am really loving this perk! Due to arriving so early before my flight I wasn’t able to use the e-gate so had a bit of a hold up there, and a bit more of a hold up with a bag search at security (which didn’t show up anything of course) but it wasn’t long before I settled into the Koru lounge with a good book 📖 and enjoyed lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, cocktails, and was upgraded to business class. Thank you, Air New Zealand!!! Although the menu looked delicious, as soon as the seat belt sign was off, it was straight into PJs and bed for me 😴
Tip 1: if you are booking business class, book a seat in the middle section to avoid having to sleep next to the air vent (it’s a bit noisy)
Tip 2: pack your PJs in your carry on so that you don’t have to sleep in the clothes you’ll be wearing off the plane, meaning you’ll feel a bit fresher when you arrive at your destination
I had a layover at Shanghai Pudong airport and had forgotten how BIG this airport is! It took ages to walk from the gate to immigration but fortunately my fingerprints were on their system from when I travelled to China in September last year, so I didn’t have to spend too long at the self-scanning kiosk. Immigration took around 40 minutes and baggage claim/customs took about another 5 minutes. I then had to wait another 40 minutes for my flight’s check-in to open, but I was then able to have a shower in the Air China lounge that I was so desperately craving! Thank you, Star Alliance!!!
One more flight to go. It was my first time flying Air Asiana and I wouldn’t hesitate to fly with them again! The plane interior was a little dated, but it was tidy, clean, and the staff were nice.