Auckland here we come.

This is going to prove very interesting, as I think I've managed to leave my reading glasses on the blasted plane! Typical airlines customer service in that after 5 phone calls we now think we have the right number but no one is answering. Anyway, I have an excellent excuse now for all the typos! So here we go.... Very early morning star being picked up at 4 am to go to the airport. Got through check in easily enough and hopefully my suitcase is booked all the way through via Sydney. Not sure that I would cope with another Tasmania fiasco where Qantas lost my luggage for 3 days and had no idea where it was or had been. Still waiting for reimbursement for all the essential items I needed to buy just to make sure I had a change of clothes for a few days.... been waiting since October so doubt I'll see any money from that horrible little Irishman Alan Joyce... grrrr. Back to my current travel saga. The plane was about 45 minutes late leaving Adelaide as the Sydney Air Traffic Controllers were understaffed so all planes in and out of Sydney were affected. once in the air, an uneventful flight. Managed to squeeze on to the transfer bus to the international terminal where I then did almost my full day's step quota weaving up and down the lines to go through passport control and then bag screening! At long last I made it to the reqisite terminal and found D and G waiting for me. So great to seethem inperson instead of our weekly Zoom catch ups which we've been reduced to die to covid and limitedtravelopportunity. Our Flight to AAuckland was very late leaving, not helped by waiting for a solitary passenger who had failed to appear after checking in. Woyldn'tyou know, it was for the empty seat next to me! Flight staff kep coming up to me and asking me if I was Sally as they kept doing call outs for Sally Dunntoidentify hetself if she eas on the plane. I kept saying that No, it wasnt my name but when another fellow came and again asked me if I was Saaly I said "If I say yes I'm Sally, can I get an upgrade?" He didnt think it was funny but it did stop them coming and asking me again. Just when the announcement came onthat there would be another 10 -15 minute delay while they located Sally Dunn's luggage and removed it from the plane, she appeared and got herself sat next to me, out of breath and in a heck of a state. i told her to catch her breath and calm down as she was obviously embarrassed. Once wewere in the air and she'd had a drink of water we started chatting. She said that she had been travelling for 2 and a half days, getting back from Manchester to fly home to Auckland and her latest flight came in at gate 52 and this flight was at 19. She had run all the way! Her story was so desperately sad. Her parents had been flyifrom Manchester to New Zealand tosee her and her kids but during the flight, her dad died! His body was taken off the plane in Singapore and cremated. Her mum as you might imagine was a wreck so Sally flew back with her to Manchester and had just spent 2 weeks trying to sort her dad's affairs, and was now needing to rush home again for her 13 and 16 year old children, and go back to work. She still had a 3 hour drive home from the airport. no wonder I left my glasses on the plane, I was just so sorry for this woman... Anyway, we arrived safe and sound at Auckland and rventually got through the passport and customs processes. Poor D and G waited ages and ages for their bags yo finally come off the carousel so by the time we finally got through the airport process to meet our driver to take us to pur hotel, we were and hour and a half later than planned. we got to the airport about 7pm and decided that we would all want an early night. The hotel restaurant was booked out until 8:30 so we went across the toad to the Food Truck Garage where we each hada really nice burger and drink. it's a very mild night so hope tomorro's weather is similar. Great view of the Sky City tower from our hotel and zi have a couple of photos I will look at adding laterwhen I hope to be able to see what I'm doing. So until then I'm worn out and my bed is definitely calling.