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Wednesday 9 March , Flight to Christchurch
Up at 3.00am ready for the taxi ride out to Terminal 1 (Domestic) with Virgin. As expected Tony's ticket meant that he would have to rebook his luggage at Sydney. A pain, but at least the Sydney flight didn't cost anything. The surprise was that as Colin had also bought tickets for the trip to Sydney and Sydney-Christchurch leg separately, he and Suz had to go through the same process.
The flight was uneventful, which is always good in my book. So we took the TBus from Sydney Domestic to the T1 International terminal. Of course the check-in counters for Virgin International were closed, but we found luggage lockers and were soon on the rather expensive Airport Train bound for Circular Quay. A late lunch looking out at the Opera House and cruise ship Queen Victoria was fun and the glass of bubbles made it feel like the trip had begun.
Back to the airport and we are finally rid of our bags. The 2 hour 40-minute flight was uneventful, which is always good. We think that the apprentice must have been driving because the plane was well and truly planted when we touched down. Immigration was a bit of a joke, with everyone encouraged to use the automatic machines. At first there were 3 working, then two and finally only one, so we abandoned the queue, and went through the normal process.
Then there was customs control and we all had walking boots didn't we? We couldn't guarantee there were no spiders or sand in our boots even though we had used them 2 days before and scrubbed them. So into another queue to open our bags, and a final X-ray just to be sure. We all managed to get into one taxi and finally arrived in Burwood around 1.30am. It was great to have a cuppa and shower before hitting the sack.
Thursday 10 March, Christchurch
We enjoyed a late breakfast and headed into town at 10.00am with tour guide Jeff. It was fascinating to see this city that suffered a devastating earthquake 5 years ago. Many suburban blocks are now cleared and will never be built on again. The central district was a hive of building activity but with many "car parks." We saw all the well-known sites including the cathedral, sea container shopping area etc. Coffee served in a container café was followed by lunch in a Belgian beer house. Then a trip out to New Brighton, complete with long pier. Strange to see this beautiful beach with such a down-market suburb facing it.
A very windy day turned into a balmy evening, perfect for a BBQ courtesy of Jeff & Marg. Big surprise, we were joined by Marg's niece who had been stranded in Christchurch when her Dunedin connection was canceled due to the windy conditions. Call the neighbours for their fold away bed and Marg gave her a ride out to the airport at 5.00am the next day.
Up at 3.00am ready for the taxi ride out to Terminal 1 (Domestic) with Virgin. As expected Tony's ticket meant that he would have to rebook his luggage at Sydney. A pain, but at least the Sydney flight didn't cost anything. The surprise was that as Colin had also bought tickets for the trip to Sydney and Sydney-Christchurch leg separately, he and Suz had to go through the same process.
The flight was uneventful, which is always good in my book. So we took the TBus from Sydney Domestic to the T1 International terminal. Of course the check-in counters for Virgin International were closed, but we found luggage lockers and were soon on the rather expensive Airport Train bound for Circular Quay. A late lunch looking out at the Opera House and cruise ship Queen Victoria was fun and the glass of bubbles made it feel like the trip had begun.
Back to the airport and we are finally rid of our bags. The 2 hour 40-minute flight was uneventful, which is always good. We think that the apprentice must have been driving because the plane was well and truly planted when we touched down. Immigration was a bit of a joke, with everyone encouraged to use the automatic machines. At first there were 3 working, then two and finally only one, so we abandoned the queue, and went through the normal process.
Then there was customs control and we all had walking boots didn't we? We couldn't guarantee there were no spiders or sand in our boots even though we had used them 2 days before and scrubbed them. So into another queue to open our bags, and a final X-ray just to be sure. We all managed to get into one taxi and finally arrived in Burwood around 1.30am. It was great to have a cuppa and shower before hitting the sack.
Thursday 10 March, Christchurch
We enjoyed a late breakfast and headed into town at 10.00am with tour guide Jeff. It was fascinating to see this city that suffered a devastating earthquake 5 years ago. Many suburban blocks are now cleared and will never be built on again. The central district was a hive of building activity but with many "car parks." We saw all the well-known sites including the cathedral, sea container shopping area etc. Coffee served in a container café was followed by lunch in a Belgian beer house. Then a trip out to New Brighton, complete with long pier. Strange to see this beautiful beach with such a down-market suburb facing it.
A very windy day turned into a balmy evening, perfect for a BBQ courtesy of Jeff & Marg. Big surprise, we were joined by Marg's niece who had been stranded in Christchurch when her Dunedin connection was canceled due to the windy conditions. Call the neighbours for their fold away bed and Marg gave her a ride out to the airport at 5.00am the next day.
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