ucsf_med

My First Trip

Every addict remembers the experience that hooked them forever. The night the SFO/LAX-AKL special fare posted, I became a FT addict. I joined FT in Feb to research a trip to Europe and Spain on LH/UA. I was hoping to learn how to get the best fares and where to visit. I learned a ton about LH and UA and the advantages of being an elite. I found the MR forum and I sadly read all the threads with unbelievable fares (months old and already long dead). And then after a few weeks of browsing FT daily or every other day, the CNZ fare came up and the thread exploded overnight. Although I didn't have my work schedule past May, I knew this must be a huge deal with all the responses and I wanted in before I missed this opportunity! I figured that since the fare was refundable I should go ahead and plan a 10 day trip around my birthday (2 weekends). I thought perhaps I could enjoy snow-capped mountains without being too cold and have a different experience than the typical tourist to NZ going Dec-Feb. At worst, I could always refund it...

[My parents were also planning a trip for early September and I told them the next morning about the deal. Unfortunately, despite my constant harping, they decided to pull the trigger... 1 week later and the deal was dead (even if they took 1 or 2 days they still could have gotten in on it since this deal was active for an incredibly long time). Interestingly, I was more upset than they were that they missed the deal (they eventually settled on a trip to Japan and I helped them out with the IC ANA in Tokyo for 3 nights!).]

I have never flown international first before, I usually fly international economy with occasional upgrades to business. I have also never flown on the upper deck before of a 747. I knew this would be a rare opportunity for me to experience F by upgrading with miles. I had just enough miles to upgrade my companion and me to F on SYD-SFO. As a premier, I was unable to book 15A/B on the UD, 16A/B was the next best seats. I had no intention to trying a stopover in SYD as we were pressed for time at 10 days and it would be a shame to not fully experience either Australia nor NZ.

During the months A.D (after deal), I experienced an emotional roller coaster as FT members related their experiences with ticketing, flight changes, and some catastrophes. I diligently read all the active threads in the NZ forum and as many replies to the SFO-AKL thread as I could (kiwi flyer is amazing!^).

The NZ FAQ is excellent, but it did miss some details I was interested in. I want to feel like I have a general feel for the place before I even get there. I hate to wander around looking for the right directions. I wanted to know where do I find the Airbus, is it the first sidewalk after leaving the terminal, the next island? Where do I find the walkway to the International terminal? What stop do I get off the bus at? Which direction should I head?

Once my work schedule was set (around early August) and I knew I could make the trip, I booked our "positioning" flights from SAN to SFO and then the intraNZ flights between the cities. Unfortunately, the cheap intraNZ flights I had phantom booked earlier were all gone and the fare was now double what I had seen before. The hotels were very expensive and I couldn't find any cheap accomodations except hostels. I worried for a few weeks about getting cheap accomodations but as luck would have it, I learned about Point Breaks and had amazing luck with the availabilities. I booked the Intercontinental Wellington for 2 nights first since it was the first Point Break available in NZ. As I was researching Queenstown and Christchurch accomodations over the next few weeks, the Crowne Plaza hotels in Queenstown and Christchurch became Point Breaks! I signed up for 1 night at CP CHC and 3 nights at CP Queenstown. I had never been a Priority Club member before, but now I became Gold Elite and hooked on Priority Club. I even got the credit card for the bonus points! As the departure date came closer and closer, I was hoping my luck would hold and a Point Break hotel would appear in Auckland, but no such luck. The best price I could get for the Crowne Plaza was about $150USD/night . Just a few days before our departure, I ended up going on Wotif.com and reserving the Best Western Auckland for NZ$104 for 1 night, how bad could it be?

And then it was my turn…

9/21 1810-1933
SAN-SFO
UA742
A319
N833UA
Economy Plus
6A/6C
On-time

This was the second to last flight of the day from SAN-SFO. Pre-FT, I would have booked the last flight of the day leaving at 1930 and arriving around 2100. But I've learned from reading posts from wise FT senior members that a buffer is always a good idea before the most important leg of the itinerary, especially if they are on a different PNR.

I was able to check-in all the way through to AKL. I had the bulkhead first row of economy plus and boarded with Seating Group 1. About halfway through the boarding process, the first class flight attendant came over to my row, said "today is your lucky day," and offered pre-departure drinks (2 OJ's and 1 water). I assume after he served the first class passengers, he had just enough left over in the opened OJ container and water bottle to pour 2 OJ cups and 1 water cup. Not anything significant enough to write home about, but an unexpected perk in E+.

The remainder of the flight was routine, we passed through some rain during the descent near the South Bay and worried about weather related rain delays leaving SFO. No rain at SFO when we landed, but it started to pour just as I got on the domestic-international transfer bus (located on the right just after getting off the moving walkway, if you are headed toward international terminal from domestic RCC).

The International RCC experience was the standard ho-hum RCC experience, nothing to special to comment on. Pre-FT I used to say "no thanks" when asked if I wanted any drink coupons. Now as a FT addict, of course I said "yes" and got 4 coupons (including the 2 for my fiancee, who also doesn't drink alcohol). I can't even count how many RCC drink coupons I've passed up on previous visits to the RCC! *shaking my head*

9/21 2255 - 9/23 0605
SFO-SYD
UA863
B747-400
N104UA
Business Class
16A/16B
On-time

I was quite excited to fly business on a 747, I have never flown in the upper deck before. I knew from FT that 15A/15B are supposed to be the best seats in the UD, but they were unavailable to this Premier member when I booked the night of the SFO-AKL fire sale. Pre-boarding went quickly, my standard carry-on roller didn't fit in the overhead or side storage and had to be stored in the compartment at the top of the stairs. My main complaint is that the crew frowned upon retrieving things from the storage locker. One of the pilots made his way through the cabin and shook everyone's hand on the upper deck. I loved the upper deck experience; it was quiet, private, and away from all the throngs of people walking past you (compared to business class downstairs). The time prior to pushback passed by so quickly and we pushed back on-time unhindered by the weather, contrary to FT reports of frequent SFO-SYD delays. After seeing the upper deck seats, I don't really think 15A/B are that much better than 16A/B, at least not enough for me to justify checking weekly prior to my flight to see if 15A/B opened up...

Our business class amenity bag included: blinds, socks, ear plugs, lotion. No slippers, no toothbrush nor toothpaste.

This was my fiancee's first non-economy flight experience and she was bewildered by all the buttons controlling the seat positioning and the extra slide-out tray for drinks. She thought I was making a dirty joke when I mentioned there would be warm nuts sitting on her slide-out tray... until the warmed nuts arrived. It was fun just watching her experience business class for the first time, even if it was just UA business class.

to begin:
Cumin seasoned chicken, smoked salmon and artichoke salad
Fresh seasonal greens with classic Caesar or roasted garlic red wine vinaigrette

main course
Pan-seared filet mignon with morel sauce
Roasted chicken with curry sauce
Boursin lasagna
Express Dine

dessert
International cheese selection
Eli's Belgian chocolate cheesecake

mid-flight snack
Sandwiches, Lav's baked chips, Ghiradelli chocolate

prior to arrival
Florentine quiche with Hollandaise sauce

As my fiancee and I don't drink alcohol, I can't comment on the wine selection.

Although there was light to moderate turbulence throughout the entire flight, I slept more during that flight than I have on any other flight previously. I think it was due to the quietness of the cabin, the comfort of business class, and the late night departure. Service was good, my glass was continuously refilled with water during the flight--whenever I awoke from sleep I found my water glass full.


Sydney Airport

I would have loved to stop-over in Sydney, but my fiancee wasn't able to take more than 1 week off from work and I think 10 days is barely enough to cover either NZ or Australia, but no way both. So we transited through SYD. No need to fill out any forms and no need to go through customs nor immigration. We arrived in SYD at 6AM and I hoped we could catch the earlier SYD-AKL NZ flight (even if we had to give up our confirmed 767 C for standby A320 Y) so that we could arrive in AKL earlier and explore the city more. I couldn't find the earlier flight on the monitor and when I went to the Air New Zealand Lounge upstairs, the receptionist told me that the 7A SYD-AKL flies only Mon-Sat (I left SFO on Friday night, arrived Sun morning in SYD). The receptionist also informed me that I had to go to transfer desk to change my UA stock NZ boarding pass (printed in SAN) to NZ stock in order to board, what a pain. After changing my BP to NZ stock, I went back to NZ lounge and enjoyed the wireless internet to catch up on email and call our family in the US via Skype. Food at the club was decent, breakfast finger foods only. Although I wanted to try the shower, I started feeling self conscious as I pulled out clothes to change into, so I dismissed any thoughts of showering at the NZ lounge and instead just washed my face in the bathroom.

There were several parked airplanes visible from the Air New Zealand Lounge, including a United 747 with the new paintjob (N105UA). On that day, the SFO-SYD aircraft made the trip down to MEL while the LAX-SYD stayed parked at SYD. The NZ lounge was great for watching planes land and takeoff, I happened to bring binoculars with me for our trip and used them in the lounge to watch the planes. They were also useful in reading the aircraft identification number on the fuselage.

I watched our NZ 767-300 pull into the gate just below the Koru Club (gate 59, recently vacated by a SQ 747) and proceeded to the boarding area.

9/23 0930-1430
SYD-AKL
NZ102
B767-300
ZK-NCI
Business Class
2J/2K
On-time

The 767 flight had a full business class and the seats were comparable to United business seats. Pre-departure drinks were in glasses. Again, lots of free alcohol to go around (if only we drank alcohol…). Lunch was served:
Appetizer of pork, greens, bread, and cheese
Main of lamb or antipasto, and
Ice cream dessert

Service was good, the flight attendants all had NZ/Australian accents which was a nice reminder of where we were headed. We had now officially started our NZ vacation! The flight was smooth and unremarkable. As we approached AKL, the weather turned cloudy and rainy. I felt a bit disappointed and hoped that we wouldn't have rain the entire week that we were in NZ.


Auckland, New Zealand

Arriving in Auckland was a breeze. With no checked baggage and nothing to declare, we sped past immigration. Unfortunately, there is no Westpac ATM (Bank of America affiliated bank in NZ) in Auckland airport, at least based on what Kiwi Flyer and the airport information desk said. I followed the FT sages' advice to avoid the first currency exchanges (due to poor exchange rates) and change currency at the exchange just before exiting the terminal to ground transport. We exchanged only a small quantity (just enough to cover Airbus and a bit more, the rest to be pulled out from a Westpac ATM in Auckland). We were the first out of immigration and felt like movie stars because there were crowds of people behind barriers waiting for their friends/family to come out of customs and immigration. The Airbus boarded just to the left as we exited the terminal to the sidewalk. It was NZD$22 RT cash minus $1 coupon (needed separate coupon for each person), paid directly to the driver. It was a 45 minute ride to our drop off at the SkyCity stop.

It completely cloudy and sprinkled the whole time we were in Auckland that day. The Best Western was just 1.5 blocks away from SkyCity. I could see the Crowne Plaza Hotel just down the street from Sky City and the Best Western. Checking in at the BW was no problem. Our room was on the 6th floor and pretty old and rundown appearing, much like an old Motel 6. The bathroom was nicely renovated, but the main room carpeting and bed sheets could use a facelift. The room was otherwise sufficient (not even worth the disk space to photograph and save a digital photo of the room). After putting our stuff down, we ventured downstairs to see Auckland. When I stopped by the front desk to ask for advice on seeing Auckland on a rainy day, the manager asked "Well what would you do on a rainy day at home? Auckland is just like any other city. You could go see a movie or go to the mall…" Although I completely agreed with what he said (hence only 1 day planned in Auckland), I think it is unprofessional for someone working in tourism and hospitality to give such a cynical and blaise response to a tourist… but then again it just the Best Western…

I had made a reservation for Orbit at the top of SkyTower for 7P (online from home approx 1 mo prior) and we had about 3 hours to kill. We walked down Queen St towards the harbor and kept an eye out for a Westpac ATM. Lots of little shops, Bank of New Zealands, and ANZ (I initially thought, "Wow, so many offices for Air New Zealand." It turns out ANZ is a bank) branches. The harbor was dreary with the sprinkling rain. The Maritime museum was closed, no one was in the harbor. We sadly made our way back to Sky City early. The only memorable thing I noticed that rainy day was an Indian restaurant named Monsoon Poon. I thought my (crude) Indian friends would get a kick out of the name…

I figured we could enjoy the view at the observation deck as we waited for our reservation time (included with minimum purchase of $25NZD/pp at Orbit). We showed up at the elevator at 5:30 and the guy turned me away, said to return at 6:30P! I made these reservations 1 month ago and I could have made them for any time, what's wrong with spending a little more time in the observation deck waiting?! We went back to the main lobby and bummed around the lobby (remember, it's raining outside). We returned at 6:15 and the guy reluctantly let us up. As we stepped off the elevator onto the observation deck, the Sky Tower was enveloped in the clouds and there was no view at all! Well, at least we standing outside in the rain and there were nice seats to wait for our reservation. There were high winds pushing the clouds and within 15 minutes, the skies completely cleared up. We had an incredible view of the city lights, except for the raindrops still on the windows. The main structures I recognized were: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Harbour Bridge, Harbour, and Best Western Hotel (the one with the Chivas ad). There were 2 employees on the deck: 1 male manager and 1 female attendant. The manager said that part of his job required him to do the SkyJump and have that experience. He has made several jumps. The female attendant said she has jumped just once, also included as part of the job. There are 4 areas on the floor where glass panels have replaced the floor. The brave can walk on the glass itself, there's a sign stating that the glass is as strong as the regular floor. Even knowing that, I still tip-toed lightly along the edge of the glass floor. We stayed on viewing deck until 7P for dinner. The restaurant revolves, much like Equinox Restaurant in San Francisco. We unfortunately did not get a window table. We ordered 2 mains: 1 salmon and 1 lamb. The service was slow. My water was not refilled for the whole night, neither was my fiance's after I finished hers. I even tipped the empty glass in my mouth to drink air for a minute to see if the waitress or staff would get my subtle hint and refill my water... they never noticed. The bill never came, I had to flag down the waitress and give her my credit card. She disappeared after that for another 20 minutes while I watched another table get frustrated and hand the card to the main front desk hostess who brought back the bill immediately. Finally the check came and my fiancee and I debated tipping the waitress and how much. We had our Frommer's guide and lo and behold, it said tipping is not customary. Great! Now we didn't feel so bad leaving no tip. The only positive is that we learned for the first time that tax is already included in the listed price in NZ. The price you see is the price you pay, it is so easy to calculate your total bill when no tax is involved (and no tip)! We should do that here in the States. When we got back to the BW, I checked Travelbuzz and a great thread on tipping!

The next morning, the sun was out and the rain stopped. We checked out and left our bags at reception to explore the city some more. We tried walking towards the Harbor bridge, looking for the Harbor Bridgewalk office. We made it all the way to the ports but ran out of time since we had to get back to SkyCity and ride the Airbus back to AKL. The Airbus picked us up at SkyCity and dropped us off at the domestic terminal. Overall Auckland was a waste of a day, we didn't get a chance to see much of the city due to the weather the first day and we were a bit rushed due to our flight the next morning.

My intraNZ flights were purchased online and I was able to print boarding passes immediately after they were purchased^. I brought those with me all the way to NZ. I discovered that I didn't have to check-in again at the kiosks, but there was no way they'd let me bring our bags as carry-on. They were approx 12kg each, stuffed with 1 weeks worth of clothes. We checked the bags to ZQN and proceeded to the boarding area. At security, we started pulling our liquids bag from our backpacks and the security agent stopped us. Apparently the liquids rule does not apply to domestic NZ flights.

9/24 1250-1430
AKL-ZQN
NZ641
B737-300
ZK-NGG
Economy
1E/1F
On-time

As we departed from AKL, the Air New Zealand hangar had "Go All Blacks" painted on it. The inflight magazine Kia Ora had a picture of this same hangar to show support to the New Zealand rugby team playing in the World Cup in France. They got their nickname because their uniform is all black, or so I gathered. The Kiwis have been fairly fanatical about their team since they won the first World Cup of rugby some 20 years ago, despite not having won the tournament since then!

When I booked my intra-NZ flights from AKL-ZQN-CHC-WLG-AKL, I took seats 1E/1F because I thought we'd get more legroom because they were bulkhead seats. Unfortunately, this was not the case on this 737-300. I chose the right side of the aircraft hoping that we would be able to see Mt Cook from the window on this side, though I didn't spot it and the captain never mentioned it. We had complimentary water and a mint. I don't think any one tried the "BuyOnBoard" snacks. The views of the New Zealand Alps were beautiful. Here is a wing shot over New Zealand Alps. There were picturesque turquiose water flowing from snowcapped mountains. As we descended through snowcapped mountains, Lake Wakatipu looked so tranquil. I imagined how these people must love living at the foot of the Remarkables. Just before final approach, I saw this picture perfect scene of an amazing snowcapped mountain rising from Lake Wakatipu and piercing through the clouds. We made a tight turn over Arrowtown upon final approach into ZQN.

Welcome to Queenstown (for continuity experts wondering about having 2 NZ planes at ZQN, this was actually taken on my QF departing ZQN-CHC, but seemed to fit better in the trip report if placed upon arrival to ZQN)

I had sent my itinerary to my brother in CLE and told him to watch the ZQN webcam so that he could see me exit the aircraft and airport. I told him I would wave at him from halfway around the world and he could watch it on the Internet (I found out later from him that the webcam wasn't working at that time, or that's what he claimed)

Priority tagged bags came out first. This lowly premier didn't get *G tags and had to wait. I saw a bag with a Priority Club Gold luggage tag and thought it was mine, only to have another passenger grab it first. Perhaps he's staying at the CP ZQN also. After getting our bags, we searched around for the Connectabus station and couldn't find it amongst the taxi islands. Turns out it is all the way to the right, just past the check-in terminal, at the end of the sidewalk, and marked with a small yellow Connect-A-Bus sign standing at ground level. We would have missed it if 2 others weren't already waiting there. It's supposed to run every 20 minutes, but we waited 40 minutes by my watch... It costs just NZD$5 per person each way, or NZD$10 for a daypass.

We walked from the final downtown ZQN bus stop (across from KFC) to the Crowne Plaza hotel. Check-in was quick and easy. I just showed him my PC Gold card and my PC Visa card and was checked in. I was hoping I would get some benefit from being PC Gold, but I think I got a standard room. I didn't sign up for the credit card early enough to get Plantinum level prior to my trip and I doubt the managers would have given me Platinum benefits even if I were to become Platinum next week... We ended up with a 6th floor room with a partial lake view and a nice view from balcony. The bathroom was nice. At least we didn't get a ground floor room with a view of the courtyard (as viewed from outside our room door). The only drag about CP ZQN and not having better than PC Gold was that the internet cost NZD$19.95 for 12 hrs, $33.95 for 24 hrs.

We decided to go to Skyline to eat dinner at the buffet and enjoy the Haka show. When we got to the Gondola to buy tickets, they said they were booked full for dinner and we should make reservations if we wanted to have dinner at the buffet. The strange thing is that you can't make reservations at the bottom of the Gondola, you have to call their reservation line to make the reservation! We used the free reservation phone at the door and made a reservation for our last night in Queenstown.

We were starving at this time (hence why I thought the buffet was a good idea) and we used our trusty Frommer's to find the Fishbone Grill for dinner. It had reasonable prices and a nice ambiance. We were a bit shocked that they were asking for $30 to buy their t-shirt... that's a bit much for a t-shirt! No, we did not buy it, though we might have it it were $20 (hint hint, if owners of the Fishbone Grill are FT members).

The next morning we awoke early for our full day trip to Milford Sound. When I was researching for my NZ trip, I found several tour companies online. Active Planet EcoTours was slightly different than the other companies. Whereas most left around 6A-7A in the morning from Queenstown, EcoTours left around 8A-8:30A. They also advertised that they were at Milford Sound a bit later than other tours and usually had Milford to themselves. Also, charging a cheaper rate ($157NZD/pp) didn't hurt either. Although I'm sure the other tours would allow it (though never specified on their websites), EcoTours specifically mentioned that they can pick you up at ZQN and give you a stopover for however many days you want at Te Anau (either before or after going to Milford Sound) and bring you back on a different day's bus for no extra charge. This is a free opportunity if you have extra days to spend at Te Anau and/or Doubtful Sound. Our tour picked us up at the CP around 8A. We were the first pick-up. Our driver Eric must be one of the owners or partners of the company. He mentioned that his driver called in sick that day and so I would be taking us on the tour. The tour bus was much smaller than the ones featured on the other tour companies' websites. No bathroom on board. His son accompanied him and served as the doorman (manual bus door). Our group had a total of 27 people, including Eric and his son. He narrated and pointed out various sights as we drove towards Milford Sound. We drove non-stop to Te Anau and had a 30 minute lunch break. We were dropped off at some cafe/souvenir shop for lunch. I'm always a bit wary of eating at places a tour company drops you off at. I'd feel more comfortable if the tour operator disclosed what kind of relationship, if any, they had with the shop. If he said they go here only because they think it's the best place in town and they don't get any commissions, I'd be happy to patronize the shop. Since nothing was disclosed, we happened to see a familiar lunch spot down the street and we bought Subway for lunch. Right after lunch, we made a stop at a free bird sanctuary of sorts. We spent another 30 minutes there as our driver walked us through the exhibits and told us interesting stories about the New Zealand fowls on display. The sanctuary cares for injured birds and those that cannot be returned to the wild (due to domestication as house pets). We saw 2 extremely rare birds with only approximately 200 left in NZ/world: Kakapo bird and its friend (another kakapo bird) . We saw 1% of all the kakapos left in the world...

From Te Anau we continued on to Fiordland National Park and made a few stops along the way to enjoy the scenery. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and the occasional cloud accenting the snow-capped mountain tops. Things we saw along the way:

Mirror Lake
Picturesque snow-capped mountains
Beautiful roadside waterfall
Glacier carved valleys
People filling their water bottles with giardia and cryptosporidium from mountain stream
Homer Tunnel
View emerging from the Homer Tunnel

En route to Milford, we were told that we'd have dinner back at Te Anau at "The Ranch" restaurant. Our driver passed around a menu and writing pad and asked us to order now if we wanted to eat at the restaurant. When we arrived at Milford, he would call in the orders so that when we got back to Te Anau later in the night, the food would be immediately ready and we could minimize the wait times there. Pretty smart!^

When we arrived at Milford Sound, the parking lot was filled with touring buses. As we exited the bus, we received tickets for the Mitre Peak Cruise boat departing immediately. On the boat, EcoTours provided 1 apple, 1 cookie, and 1 muffin per person. Most of the Milford Sound boats were just returning to dock as we were departing. The Mitre Peak cruise boat was in good condition, though it appeared older than the other boats at the dock. The newest/sleekest boats appeared to be the Real Journey boats. The Red Boat company's boats were somewhere in between.

Photos from our boat cruise:
First waterfall on the right just leaving Milford Harbor
View of harbor from departing ship
Sharp mountain face diving into water
Emerging out into the Tasman Sea
Milford Sound signal marker
Waterfall a la "Maid of the Mist"
Seals on rocks
Milford Sound Underwater Observatory (limited hours)
Mitre Peak
Another waterfall

I could see why AA's 101 Top Places to Visit for Kiwis listed Milford Sound as the #1 location. However, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting to be more impressed with all the fanfare. I think my big letdown was because I have already experienced Alaska and seen similar fiords, wildlife, glaciers, and picturesque landscape. For those who have never seen Alaska, you will be duly impressed by its grandeur. I was disappointed that I did not get a chance to visit the Underwater Observatory. That would have been a new and different experience for me. Unfortunately, they have rather limited hours and I was told that it was closed at the time our boat passed by.

We got back on the minibus and returned to Te Anau. We stopped for a nice sunset where some scene from LOTR was shot. We got to "The Ranch" restaurant right around darkness and our pre-ordered food was quickly served. It was actually very crowded in the restaurant and it appeared to be the only restaurant open at that time. After the 30 minute dinner break, we got back on the bus for the drive back to Queenstown. The bus has a built in LCD screen and we watched "The World's Fastest Indian" on DVD. Anthony Hopkins stars in a movie about Burt Munro, a Kiwi who travels from NZ to Utah's dry lake bed to race a hand-modified 1920's "Indian" motorcycle and sets a world record speed (still standing, in the under 2000cc class). It was a fun movie and passed the time quickly. We were dropped off at the Crowne Plaza around 9:30P. Unfortunately, we were the first to get picked up and the last to be dropped off. My only consolation was that I laughed inside my head as I watched the others exit the bus to their hostels and motels, knowing that I probably paid less than they did and I was staying luxuriously at the Crowne Plaza! ^^

It was a very long day, even with the late(r) morning departure. If I had a chance to do it again, I would drive to Milford Sound myself over 1.5 days, stopping over at Te Anau the night before and leave for Milford early the next morning to get there before all the tour companies, take a less crowded cruise (since its before the hoards on tours), spend some time at the observatory, and then take a leisurely drive back to Queenstown.

The next morning, we had a leisurely day. I had originally planned a tour to Mt Cook with Great Sights Tour company. But after arriving at AKL from the long flight, I decided that I didn't want to spend 1 full day on a bus to Milford followed by another full day spent on a bus to Mt Cook and eat up much of my planned ZQN time on a bus. So I cancelled it 2 days before my scheduled Mt Cook trip. Despite being refunded $5NZD less for service charges, I was still credited to my credit card slightly more money than I paid; I suspect because the USD/NZD exchange became less favorable for the USD.^ Despite having canceled our trip with 48 hours advance notice (their cancellation policy is >24 hrs), I received a phone call from the lobby at 8A saying that my tour bus was waiting downstairs. They were a bit surprised when I said I had canceled, but gave me no grief. My credit card still shows the refund...

That morning, we went to a little shop we had walked by the last 2 days, Patagonia Chocolates. We bought chocolate to bring back for friends and family. We chose the biggest premade box they had with a mix of milk, dark, and white chocolates for $50NZD. The waitress was nice enough to provide us with 2 smaller empty boxes and stickers with the Patagonia Chocolate logo so we could split it up later for gifts. They had free wireless internet at shop (which is also a cafe) during business hours and you have to ask for the network password. I tried checking in for my Qantas ZQN-CHC flight for the next day, but I discovered that the website allows allow online checkin only for Australian domestic flights. I suppose as a savvy FT'er I should have called Qantas for seat assignments, but I was feeling lazy...

I reserved and purchased 2 tickets for an early afternoon Shotover Jetboat ride. Fortunately it was a sunny day and we would be less likely to freeze during the ride. We waited at "The Station" at Shotover and Camp Street (#28 on Google Maps) 10 minutes before our scheduled boat time. They were running 10 minutes behind, we were taken by minibus from The Station to the Shotover River. We wore our jackets and warm clothing, and were provided a thin black raincoat and lifevest. The boats were clean and modern jetboats with heated handlebars to keep your hands warm.^ The ride consisted of their signature 360 turns and high speed (essentially flying on water) runs through the canyons carved by the Shotover River. The boat would aim parallel to the canyon wall and then the driver would turn the boat into the rocky wall. Of course, it seemed scary because you were inches from the wall, but because of physics it was impossible for us to hit the wall since our momentum was still moving us parallel to the rock face. It was essentially like a water thrill ride at a theme park. I had remembered to wear a headband to cover my ears which prevented my ears from freezing during the high speed bursts with water spray. We were surprisingly dry after the boat ride, I had expected to get soaked. It cost us $109NZD /pp and we bought the nice photo momento booklet with a video clip from our ride for an additional (?)$60NZD. After seeing the video on the computer, its pretty crappy quality. It would be well worth it if they had higher quality video images from the rear facing camera as well as having an additional forward facing camera (so people at home can see what your ride was like). They were beta testing the forward facing camera on 1 boat, unfortunately not ours. I wish they had told me that ahead of time and given me the option of riding on the boat with the forward facing camera since I planned on purchasing the video clips...

The shuttle took us back to the Station and we had a little time freshen up at the CP before returning to the Skyline (this time with reservations). We bought the Gondola, Dinner, Haka Show, and 2 luge ride combo for $212NZD (for 2). The Gondola ride is like any other mountain skyride (Palm Springs and another I rode in Alaska near Palmer?) but the view of Queenstown and the Remarkables was amazing:
Queenstown from as seen from Skyline
Zoom in on Queenstown downtown and harbor (and Crowne Plaza)

By far, the cheapest but most entertaining thrill was our scenic luge ride! We went at a leisurely speed and enjoyed the panoramic views. As I drove behind my fiancee to take pictures, it reminded me of my favorite N64 game Mario Kart. I later tried the advanced luge course which had steep drops, tighter turns, and allowed for higher speeds (my fiancee didn't hog the road in front of me).

After my hands froze, we went back inside to wait for our dinner slot and found the gift shop. We bought a few t-shirts for $25NZD each for our friends and family. In retrospect, avoid the temptation to buy souvenirs here. If you are going to Christchurch, the Willowbank Reserve and Antarctic Center have comparable t-shirts and suveniors for about the same price, plus some of the profits probably go to a good cause.

Our dinner buffet slot was at 545P and they didn't seat anyone until exactly that time. The buffet was nice, I had been starving myself all day and made several trips to the counters. We had window seats and enjoyed a moonlit view at dusk. Also visible from our dinner table were the thrill seekers bungy-jumping just below us.

The next morning, we took the 9:20A Connect-A-Bus from the downtown stop to ZQN. Upon arrival 15 minutes later, we got to the Qantas check-in counter and were assigned 22A/B. The flight monitor listed our flight twice, one showing delayed 20 minutes under comments, the other without any comments. I asked the agent if the flight was delayed and she looked at me funny and said "no." hmmmm...

For some reason, Kiwis seem to like waiting for their flight in the waiting area pre-security and then last minute go through security and board their flight. We went through security first to an empty gate with lots of seats and had a quiet wait. We saw our plane arrive and saw the arriving passengers disembark.

I was glad to hear the boarding call because that meant our flight was going to leave on-time. But my heart sunk when I heard them say "We will board by row numbers starting from the back. Calling for passengers in rows 11-22..." I can't believe we're in the absolute last row. I was nice to agent at the check-in counter, didn't make a fuss, and I still got the last row.

9/27 1020-1110
ZQN-CHC
QF4180
B737-300
ZK-JNB
Economy
22A/22B
On-time

The only redeeming factor for having been assigned our particular seats was that it was on the left hand side of the aircraft. When we flew past Mt Cook, the captain mentioned that it was on the left hand side of the aircraft and I spotted the tiny peak (as seen from the air). I felt that my ZQN experience (sans bungy) was complete now that I saw Mt Cook. I saw a beautiful cloudless sky with snow-covered mountains and turquiose colored water below us. Our in-flight snack was water (pre-sealed in juice container) and a muffin. The flight was very brief and we soon arrived at CHC.

Christchurch

It took us a while to get off the airplane since we were in the absolute last row! Once we got out of the domestic terminal, we found the Airport Flyer just to the left. Fortunately, one was waiting there and just about to leave. We paid $24NZD for 2 roundtrip tickets (return to be used the next day). The first stop was the International Antarctic Centre (which is really just walking distance from the airport, we discovered) before proceeding on the long trip to Cathedral Square. It was about a 30 minute trip to the Crowne Plaza hotel. I discovered the CHC Airbus is really a local bus that stops at the airport, unlike the Airbus Express at AKL. Fortunately, it travels down Durham Street and passes directly in front of the hotel. I suppose the upside of being a local bus is that we could get out at the stop right in front of the hotel.

Crowne Plaza Christchurch at Kilmore, Durham, and Victoria Streets

Check-in was a bit slow. There were 2 people behind the desk helping guests check-in. When 1 freed up, I was just about to get helped when the phone rang and she picked it up. She was on the phone for about 5 minutes before she got back to me (the other rep was still working out some issue with another guest and wasn't available yet). After looking up my reservation (Point Break), she asked me if I had a 5k point voucher. I had no idea what she was talking about. She stated that "sometimes you receive the voucher in the mail." I wonder if she was talking about the 5k PC point vouchers RA's get. Anyway, it wasn't a problem and I didn't have to give anything up.

The CP had a spacious and beautiful skylit atrium and hotel restaurant (which we didn't use at all). We went straight up to our room to drop off our stuff. Our 11th floor standard room and bathroom. There is a lovely view of Victoria Park from 11th Floor elevator lobby. This was just past the mid-point of our trip and we had enough dirty clothes between the two of us for one load of laundry. When we called down to the lobby to ask about nearby laundrimats, we were shocked to hear that the CP CHC has a free self serve laundry room with 2 washers and 2 driers^. You get in the laundry room with your room key. Is this the same in all Crowne Plazas?

Unfortunately, wired in-room internet is NZD $33.95 for 24 hrs, no 12 hr option here. Another option is NZD$10 per half hr wireless in the lobby. We instead used an Internet cafe on Colombo and Gloucester for NZD$1 per 20 minutes.

The Crowne Plaza concierges were very helpful to us (Caleb and Fiona). I hadn't planned anything to do in CHC, most of my efforts were spent planning ZQN. I asked the concierge for recommendations on places to visit. She recommended the aerial tram and Antarctic Center and gave us coupons for both (two $2 off coupon for the Antarctic Center, two $2 off aerial tram). We decided against the tram and ride up to the skyline, it couldn't top ZQN and we wanted to see the city a bit. We made our way through Victoria Park behind Crowne Plaza and found a Westpac ATM on Armagh at Colombo St (another ATM is located directly across the street from the Casino entrance on the opposite side of the Crowne Plaza).

On our way downtown to the Cathedral, we found the Samurai Noodle shop (next to Internet cafe) and paid NZD$10 for their Samurai Ramen with extra noodles. After the filling lunch, we continued down to see the cathedral for the obligatory CHC cathedral picture. There was a street performer entertaining a large crowd as we waited for the big black "Best Attractions" bus (for $6NZD/pp) to take us to the Willowbank Nature Reserve (first dropping off at International Antarctic Center). We saw wallabies, kea birds, duck, duck, duck, goose, otters peacocks, handsome pigs, and 3 elusive kiwi birds (in their blacked out sanctuary)! Finally seeing the kiwi birds was a real treat, I couldn't visit NZ from halfway around the world and leave without having seen a real live kiwi bird! They were really cute, they made these funny noises and seemed to plod along carrying their huge torsos! There were a host of other fowls to be seen as well as a cool pond with "domesticated" eels.

The "Best Attractions" bus picked us back up and drove back to Cathedral Square. The bus route happens to by the Crowne Plaza and when I got near Victoria Park, I politely inquired and the bus driver let us off quickly at Victoria Park while we were waiting at the red light.^ That saved us a walk back to the CP from Cathedral Square (not that its far at all, but it was starting to get cold).

Our Frommer's had good reviews of Raj Mahal restaurant and recommended reservations. Instead of calling from our room (to avoid the local call charge), we went downstairs and asked the concierge to help us make a reservation for 7P. We had tried stopping by the restaurant earlier when we were visiting Cathedral Square, but the restaurant is only open after 4:30P. We secured reservations and took a nap before dinner.

When we got to the restaurant, it was pretty empty at 7PM. I guess reservations aren't necessary for Thursday nights! It is the cleanest and modern Indian restaurant I have ever been to. Most that I have gone to are hole-in-the-wall places that are a little dingy, a bit dark, but serve fantastic food. The Raj Mahal was clean, contemporary, and had great food. We ordered the chicken tikka masala, lamb vindulu, and half tandori chicken with 2 orders of naan. The vindulu was very very spicy! The total bill was very reasonable and the manager/owner at the front desk was very friendly and personable.

We returned back to the CP and packed for the next day. Our flight CHC-WLG was around 4PM the next day. We planned to sleep in, check out from our hotel around 11A, take the Airport Flyer to the Antarctic Center, explore there for a few hours, and then walk across to the airport for our flight. Just before checking out from the CP, we decided that instead of leaving a cash tip for the concierges, we'd leave a glowing review of the concierges Caleb and Fiona in the guest comment card.

The Airbus stop is on Victoria Street right at the intersection of Kilmore/Durham/Victoria Streets (photo taken from airbus stop). It is CityBus #10 and they took our return ticket receipt from yesterday without any problem. We were dropped off at the International Antarctic Center and we looked for a place to put our checked baggage. The Center must have lots of people visiting either going to or from the airport because they have these nice large lockers you can rent (self serve, a la Disneyland lockers). We put both our roller carry-ons and a backpack in one locker for 3 hours for $3.50. Good deal!

The International Antarctic Center was a bit disappointing. It was pretty much an educational center with exhibits and displays about Antarctic life and the experience. The penguin encounter was no different from penguin encounters I've seen at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and San Diego Sea World. Actually, the penguin encounter was even more underwhelming as it was a tiny enclosure featuring small blue penguins only and its only star is Elvis, a blind singing (vocal) blue penguin. The only unique experience I liked at the Antarctic Center was a chilled room/exhibit which simulated an Antarctic storm at -8 degrees Celsius. Don't bother with the audioguide, I barely used it and wasted NZD$6. The adjacent US Antarctic Program building.

The souvenir shop had several nice t-shirts on clearance for $20NZD (as did the Willowbank Reserve the previous day). If I had known there were nice NZ t-shirts at the Antarctic Center, we wouldn't have loaded up on gifts at ZQN Skyline. I would rather purchase from either Willowbank or the Center and know that at least a small portion would go to a worthy cause (instead of just one person's pocketbook). So if you are planning to go to the Antarctic Center or Willowbank sometime during your trip, save your gift buying until you get to CHC.

After our visit to the Antarctic Center, we picked up our bags from the electronic lockers and walked across the road to CHC. Our gate was adjacent to the Koru Club and I could receive the Koru Club wifi signal. I was excited to try the connection from the gate area, but realized that I had thrown away the leaflet from SYD NZ lounge containing a login and password. I don't know if it would work, but I wasn't able to try it. The airport has it's own wifi, but you gotta pay for access (though browsing airport website is free).

9/28 1615-1700
CHC-WLG
NZ454
B737-300
ZK-NGG
Economy
1E/1F
On-time

We sat on the exact same plane and same (still cramped) seats as our AKL-ZQN flight! That was kinda fun knowing I had been on this aircraft before (I have only started tracking since April when I joined FlightMemory and kept a Excel file of my flights). We even had the same in-flight snack water and candy (sigh)! I watched the northern shore of the South Island disappear from beneath us and spotted the Southern tip of the North Island just off at the distant horizon. The Kia Ora magazine I was flipping through (for the third time/NZ flight) had an article about a ferry that had sunk in between the islands during a severe storm, the only disaster of its kind like that in NZ. I looked down at the water wondering how deep it was.

Our arrival into WLG was during the golden hour for photography. The sun was a few hours before sunset and cast the shore in warm light and shadows. One such picture of the seashore on approach into WLG.

I have a picture of the AKL sign at AKL, the ZQN sign at ZQN, the CHC sign at CHC, and now I captured WLG airport, Wild at Heart.

Wellington

Once again, priority bags came out immediately and we waited. I can't wait until I get *G after this trip. Unfortunately I hear priority tagged bags don't mean much in the US. The Airport Flyer stop was on the far right as you exit the terminal. It doesn't stop at the sidewalk, they pull into a space in what appears to be a bus parking lot. We bought one-way tickets into town for $5.50NZD/pp (our WLG-AKL flight flies out before the first Airport Flyer bus arrives to the airport). It dropped us off near the Wellington Cable Car station, 1 block away from Intercontinental. For those of you staying at the IC, the main entrance is on Grey street between Featherston and Customhouse Quay. I don't know what happened to us, we ended up walking 270 degrees around the building before finding the entrance. There is no other entrance to the hotel, no side or back door.

We got a 7th floor standard room (queen bed only). The only perk was free wired internet in the room! Our bathroom had nice amenities and the tub had a fun Intercontinental rubber duckie!

We ate dinner at a Frommer's recommended Felix restaurant. It was so-so. Our plan for the next day was to explore the city for the morning and then do a LOTR half-day tour for the afternoon. The next morning I used Skype to book an afternoon 1/2 day tour with Flat Earth LOTR Tours. This was based on my pre-trip internet research, WLG IC brochure, and a mention in Frommer's. I called at 8:30A and was able to book an afternoon tour at 2P for the two of us.

We then walked to the WLG Cable Car and putzed around the Botanic Gardens to enjoy the views of Wellington. From the Cable Car we then walked along the Harbor to Te Papa Museum. The best part about this national museum is that it is free! They had a nice science exhibits about NZ earthquakes, the natural history and wildlife of NZ, they had an interesting outdoor garden exhibit, and they had a fun mystery who-dun-it exhibit about dangerous animals and plants. Their are 4 exhibits in the mystery, each corresponding to a types of dangerous animals. The mystery was to find out who killed a particular scientist and with what dangerous animal. 5 written clues are hidden in the exhibit and your job is to piece together the clues and solve the mystery. I figured it out after visiting only 3 of the 4 rooms...

For lunch we ate at the food court of BNZ mall. Our Frommer's said that food courts are popular hangouts and places to eat for Wellingtonites... who knew? We ate at Kabob Queen and it was actually pretty good for cheap! We went back to our hotel room to rest before our LOTR tour.

Todd from Flat Earth Tours picked us up from the Intercontinental Hotel right on time. Actually, a few minutes early and called our room from the concierge. I'm not a LOTR fan(atic) but I enjoyed the movie and wanted to learn more about it. He was an extra in the LOTR movies, his main role was one of the captains/driver of the elephants during that big battle in front of Minas Tirith. I was amazed that it was a private tour, it was just Todd and the two of us in a Kia SUV conversion car. During the tour, he told us about the whole casting process as well as the ways special effects were done in the films. He kept referring to Peter Jackson as Peter since he has done several films with Peter Jackson. It was a nice touch to have someone who was actually there and hear the stories from the filming process. He laughed that although he and Orlando Bloom were in several scenes together, they were filmed separately and he had never met the guy.

Our tour started on Mt Victoria. We had a view of WLG from Mt Victoria. The first scene we visited was the scenewhere Hobbits hide from dark riders (bike riders from a mountain bike race riding through scene). The same location but shot in the opposite direction became the scene where the Hobbits find mushrooms. The big tree the Hobbits hide under was apparently a facade constructed for the movie.

We then drove to the Lower Hutt and stopped by a little creek where the Anduin River scene was shot. Our third location was at Harcourt Park where Isengard was filmed. There we breaked for afternoon tea with cookies, coffee, and tea.

After tea, we went to Kaitoke Regional Park for the Rivendell filming location. It is amazing how sparse the whole place was. Apparently, the NZ Conservation committee told the production team that it had to restore everything back to prefilming condition, so all the plants that weren't being used had to be carefully removed and replanted elsewhere, and after filming, brought back and replanted. A complete waterfall had to be artificially constructed for the Rivendell scenes, and water ported in and out to supply the waterfall because the crew was authorized to use the river immediately adjacent to the site. Here is the tree where the famous Legolas promotional poster hero shot was taken (recognize the tree?).

After exploring Rivendell (which is just a grassy park now), we went to a quarry site where Helms Deep was filmed.

We arrived back at the IC promptly at 6PM, as scheduled. During the tour, we posed for some pictures recreating some scenes, but we didn't have any props. A competing tour company, Rover Tours has more people in each tour, is slightly cheaper, but they have props if you want to do that sort of thing. Personally, I was impressed how personal our tour was. It was just our guide Todd, my fiancee, and I in a nice comfortable car. I think I could do without the large group tours. I debated whether we should give Todd a tip. I didn't feel $10NZD would be adequate, but at the same time $20NZD was a bit much since we already paid $132NZD/pp. So since tips aren't customary, I decided not to give a tip but instead show my appreciation in a non-monetary way. I sent a raving review to customer service and I'm posting a glowing review here on FT.^

Later that Saturday night, we met up with jswong. It was the night before our departure back to SYD-SFO-SAN and we had dinner at Siem Reap Cambodian restaurant. He was a great host and I loved hearing about his experiences traveling and comparing medicine in NZ versus the US. My fiance's reaction "What!?" was classic when jswong described a AKL-HKG trip via SFO. It is funny that all the FT members he has met in Wellington have stayed at the IC! After hearing that we would have a 5 hour layover in SYD, he encouraged us to spend our layover in Sydney Circular Quay instead of airport. I was worried about taking too much time travelling to and from the city. He assured us it was only a 20 minute train ride from the airport terminal to the Sydney Opera House.

When we got back to the IC, I used Skype to call United 800 number. I was worried I'd end up with ICC or MCC since it was 2200 NZ time (5AM chicago time). I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't hear an Indian accent. I told her I had a flight tomorrow from AKL-SYD-SFO and that I wanted to process an ETA so that I could visit Sydney during my stopover. Surprisingly, she didn't ask for PNR. As she was pulling up the ETA screen on her computer (I suspect), we made some small talk since she knew I was in NZ and I asked her where she was located... Chicago! Within a few minutes, she asked for my passport information. However, the process got stuck when she asked me for what "State" my passport was issued... huh? My passport says nothing about state, only National Passport Center. "Maybe it's asking for California," I thought. Nope, didn't work. "How about Washington DC," I said, since my passport was issued at the National Passport Center. Still no go. The agent was getting frustrated and said I might need to apply for it at the airport. "No way!" I thought. Maybe this wasn't going to work out. I opened up a web browser and searched for Australian ETA on Google and found some online ETA processing sites. On their forms, "State" was clarified as country of issue. I told the agent and she was successful entering USA. I guess this was the first time she has processed an ETA. After she processed both our ETA's, she said "That'll be $20 each." "What? I thought ETA's were processed for free for Business Class passengers. I'm traveling in first class!" I give her my PNR with my CNZ fare upgraded to First with miles. "No sir, it's $20." At this point I frantically search FT and united.com for the free ETA policy. She then puts me on hold as I do more searching online. After about 2 minutes, she comes back on the phone and says, "It's done, enjoy your trip!" I breathe a sigh of relief and thanked her. But I am an inherent worrier and I still wasn't sure if she processed it correctly (since it must have been her first) and if 12 hours was sufficient time for it to go through.

A very nice and conscientious thing the Intercontinental did for us (and all their guests) was to leave a note in our room that daylight savings time started tonight (Saturday night)^^. I knew this in the States when I had originally planned the trip but had forgotten about it. Thank you IC for reminding me, or else we probably would have gotten to the airport and missed our WLG-AKL flight which would have caused us to miss our entire return trip (1 hr connection to AKL-SYD flight and no other AKL-SYD flights arriving before SYD-SFO flight)!

We awoke earlier the next morning and the IC concierge called us a cab to take us to WLG for our 7A WLG-AKL flight (the first airbus arrives at WLG at 6:40 and we didn't think that was early enough considering we had baggage to check). It was $23.40NZD to the airport and the cab driver got a $0.10 tip...

The gate agent had a lot of difficulty with our itinerary. Fortunately we had arrived to the airport early. Apparantly, the problem was that our CNZ itinerary was for ucsf_med and ucsf_med_fiance but our intraNZ itinerary said "Dr ucsf_med" and "Miss ucsf_med_fiance" (UA had no option to put Dr/Miss but NZ did when I originally purchased online). Apparantly the computer could not link them because they didn't match... The gate agent was able to check our bags to SFO (the origin of our CNZ fare) and told us we needed to check in at AKL. Great... I came to the airport early to try to avoid this because we had a tight 1 hr connection at AKL!

We got to our departure gate and it was too dark for my camera to get a picture of our aircraft (flash couldn't reach).

9/30 0700-0800
WLG-AKL
NZ406
B737-300
ZK-SJE
Economy
1E/1F
On-time

Although this was also a B737-300, ZK-SJE had significantly more legroom in the bulkhead seats 1D-1F compared to ZK-NGG (which had the "standard" legroom as if there were seats in front of us). I was a bit surprised, I had expected that they would all have the exact same layout since they were the same series aircraft. We departed just at sunrise, the early morning flight made more painful due to the daylight savings time change. More inflight water and candy (we declined both).

As soon as we arrived in AKL, we bolted out of the aircraft first and briskly walked the pathway to the international terminal. We initially took a right turn out of the terminal and found ourselves lost. A curbside security person pointed us towards the other direction and told us to follow the white/blue line. So next time if you're in a rush, be sure to turn left as you exit the domestic terminal, cross the street, and continue on the walkway towards the left, following the white/blue stripe on the ground. The UA/NZ check-in counter is the last one as you walk past the check-in counters. It was definitely a 10 minute brisk walk, I didn't quite believe previous reports of a 10 minute walk; I thought they were timed during leisurely strolls.

Checking in for our international flight was quick, no line at the check-in counter (45 minutes prior to scheduled departure time). I had to present my baggage claim tags to the agent and she tapped the tag numbers into the computer, perhaps so that she could attach the tag numbers to my SFO-AKL PNR. The only hiccup was that the counter agent somehow printed out 1 wrong boarding pass out of 4. The 2 first class BP's for SYD-SFO were correct, but one of the AKL-SYD BP's had the wrong passenger name on it! I'm glad I checked the BP's and pointed out her error, which was quickly corrected. I made sure to confirm with her that she linked my baggage claim tags to the correct person's PNR and not this mystery passenger she gave me initially. We'll see if my bags come out in SFO...

Headed upstairs to our gate. Paid the departure tax of NZD$25/pp, payable at the Bank of New Zealand counter just to the right of the security check and got a sticker put on the back of my boarding pass. There are a few automated kiosks that take credit cards, though I don't know if there's an added fee for CC transactions. Customs and security was empty and we breezed through, made it to the gate 25 minutes prior to scheduled departure time and boarding had not even started yet. The 1 hour connection time was more than enough, even having to check-in again at the counter, and rushing between terminals wasn't necessary either.

9/30 0900-1030
AKL-SYD
NZ703
A320
ZK-OJO
Economy
7A/7B
Delayed 15 minutes

Our plane was painted with wacky Looney Toons characters (interestingly, when I reviewed my pictures later, I had caught this plane in my photo of AKL airport when we first arrived in NZ). Looking towards Auckland just after takeoff. My fiancee had the quiche for breakfast and I had the fruit plate.

Landing at SYD must have been great for the folks on the right side of the airplane. Apparently we were north of SYD and as we turned south the entire right side had a front seat view of Sydney Harbour. I wish I had gotten seats on the right side for those pictures. Instead, I was on the left side an got this ho-hum picture of Caringbah and Miranda(?). I did spot the UA B747-400 N195UA parked on the tarmac at SYD (which flew later to LAX). The right sided people wouldn't have seen that either...


Sydney

Since we were seated near the front of the aircraft, we were able to speed towards an empty customs line. I had practiced my response to the question "any previous felonies or convictions?" as previously written in another FT thread ("Is that still a requirement for entry into Australia?"), but the only question the customs agent asked was "why are you entering Australia for less than 1 day?" She seemed was satisfied with that answer, it must be common for people to enter Sydney for long layovers. We quickly passed the xray quarantine inspection with no problem. As we exited into the arrivals terminal, we turned right and walked, and walked, and walked, following the signs leading us to "Trains." I dropped off our carry-on bags at the Smarte Cart counter on the left just past McDonald's. It was $7AUD for 0-6 hrs, credit cards accepted. We continued down towards the train, the upper counter only sold one way tickets on the train. Had to go downstairs to the train entrance counter to purchase round trip train tickets ($38.40AUD for 2 RT). We hopped on the train to Circular Quay, about a 20 minute ride. Explored the Sydney Opera, Harbor Bridge, and Circular Quay station area for 2 hours, took some nice photos. We thought we'd go check out the Harbor Bridge Climb. We found it underneath the bridge pylon and inquired about the pricing. Not only were they completely booked (you have to reserve a spot in advance, online or on the phone), the Harbor Bridge Climb costs almost $200AUD/pp, I couldn't afford it at that price! Even at that price, they had lots of business! Finding the right train back was easy, the station listed the next 3 trains and their destinations (a la BART and MUNI). Trains stopping at the airport had a plane icon next to it on the display and they came every 10 minutes or so.

I am so glad we spent some time in Sydney itself, instead of spending the entire connection time holed up in the airport. Thanks jswong for recommending that we spend our 5 hr layover in the city rather than in the Air New Zealand lounge or the RCC!

We got back to the airport just over 1 hr before scheduled departure and stopped by the RCC and First Class lounge. I was so excited to meet Annie and she lived up to all that I read on FT. When I showed her my boarding pass and she exchanged it for a UA stock BP pass. She also lightly scolded me for checking in so late with her because she needed to make sure my checked bags got loaded. She asked me where I was flying to, I told her SAN. She printed out my BP for SFO-SAN but became very uspet when the baggage claim tags showed that the bags were checked to SFO. I had planned to pick up my bags in SFO and carry them on the last leg. Annie immediately turned it up a notch and said that regulations require that my bags be checked all the way. She immediately picked up the radio and commanded the ground crew to pull my bags out to retag them... except my bags were one of the first loaded into the plane since they were Priority tagged and I came in on a early flight. She made them offload all the bags to get to mine and retagged them... I guess I should have said SFO was my final destination and simply checked in at SFO myself... but I had no idea it would cause such trouble.

The First Class Lounge to the right of the RCC desk was very mundane and disappointing, even though I had already readied myself after hearing some reports from previous Trip Reports. It had a very small snack bar and I wondered if i was allowed to go through the side door which I think connects to the main RCC. At least the small sandwiches and fruit were tasty, I tried to make up for the lunch that we missed trying to squeeze as much time at the Circular Quay as possible. When boarding started, I made my way out. After all the trouble I made her cause, I chickened out of asking Annie to take a picture with us and escorting us to the gate (jswong recommended the first class experience of having the RCC agent escort us to the gate).

We went to Gate 56 to board and only saw economy boarding lines. I resigned myself to waiting in the hoi polloi line. Only once I got up to the front of the line, I heard an overhead announcement that Red Carpet boarding was located at the adjacent gate 63...

9/30 1440 - 9/30 1100
SYD-SFO
UA870
B747-400
N117UA
First Class
4E/4F
Delayed 20 minutes

The captain made an announcement that we were having baggage moved for weight distribution reasons. I overheard the purser (had a slightly nasally voice that sounded a little like Fran Drescher) sounding very harried talking to other flight attendants about a passenger who lost his baggage "with very important business documents" and that the police, customs, and United were on the lookout for his item. I don't know more details about it, I don't know if it was his checked or carry-on that was misplaced. I enjoyed settling into the First Class cabin and exploring all the buttons in the FirstSuite seat. Pre-departure drinks were served, again what a waste of money that we don't drink alcohol. It was a bit amusing to me that we had to rifle through a cassette holder for movies to watch on their personal video player in the seat. It didn't seem odd reading FT threads about the poor IFE on UA but seeing it firsthand makes me feel a bit ashamed for UA First when SQ Y has movies on demand and games on their IFE (I think it was Y that I flew on SQ that time). Here's our shamefully inadequate First Class amenity kit. I overheard the purser mentioning to another FA that there were not enough FC amenity kits and that she had to give some business class amenity bags (I wonder if I could complain to UA for them, what kind of compensation should I expect? ) As we finally taxied to the runway, there was loud creaking and cracking sounds heard in the First Class cabin. I think they were related to the front wheels since it was more pronounced during turns. Then seconds after we lifted off, there was a sudden loud thump and bang sound that sounded to me like the bottom fell out and baggage was falling out the bottom. It was probably the nose wheel carriage being stowed, but I really have no idea what that sound was. Regardless, many passengers appeared uneasy, but the sound disappeared and the remainder of the ascent was very smooth and quiet.

Although the Captain mentioned that channel 9 would be available, it was off the entire preflight through takeoff. I had tested channel 9 several times during that time with complete silence. Only after takeoff was Channel 9 enabled. Apparently, there were reports of moderate to severe turbulence at the higher altitudes 30k+ ft. All the flight attendents were advised to stay seated for at least the first hour. On channel 9, I could hear many different flights (Qantas, UPS, United, Air New Zealand) requesting specific altitudes. It was smooth at 22k ft but our designated altitude was 26k ft. Around 24k we experienced moderate turbulence and our pilot requested to go back down to 22k ft. The ATC declined due to other aircraft flying in the opposite direction at that level and we continued up towards 26k ft. Moments later, 2-3 planes also requested 22k ft and granted, likely because they were also headed in that opposite heading. Once we reached 26k ft, there was only light to occasionally moderate turbulence and the meal service started. I was absolutely famished since I had a light economy breakfast on NZ703 and no lunch except a few finger foods at the United First Class Lounge just prior to boarding.

to begin:
A sampling of hot appetizers: Crab stuffed prawn and chicken satay with kaffir lime sauce and Thai chili sauce, mushroom cream soup
Salad: Fresh seasonal greens with classic Caesar or balsamic vinaigrette

main course:
Pan-seared filet mignon with Hollandaise roasted tomato sauce
Orange herb roasted breast of chicken with demi-glace
Thai red seafood curry with steamed rice with bok choy and garlic stir-fry
Spinach and cheese filled pasta with baked pumpkin and roasted tomatoes

dessert:
Ice cream with sundae toppings
Cheese selection: True Blue, Heritage Brie, Kapiti Cheddar
Fresh seasonal fruit and berry coulis with yogurt

midflight snack:
A variety of fruit, sandwiches, and assorted treats

prior to arrival:
Mushroom and red capsicum quiche, or
Fresh seasonal fruit place with creamy yogurt

Landing was relatively smooth except for what felt like the front wheels bouncing. But it was my first time up front for a landing, perhaps that's the way it's supposed to feel... Just prior to deplaning, the woman to my left rang the flight attendant button and told the purser rather tersely "I came aboard this airplane with a jacket didn't I..." The purser opened the closet at the nose of the plane and brought her jacket to her. As deplaning began, the purser smoothly blocked the business class aisle to allow all the first class passengers to deplane first!

San Francisco

Deplaning first has its advantages, no wait at customs. But with our bags checked due to NZ's ridiculous carry-on requirements, we still had to wait for our bags at the baggage carousel. Even with the bags priority tagged, it took about 20 minutes for them to come out. We sped through immigration and out towards terminal 3. At baggage re-check, we sped by since we were going to carry on, but the agent stopped us to remove the checked baggage tags, scan them, and indicate that they were being carried on instead to prevent an incorrect checked baggage count for our subsequent flight.

Security at the first Terminal 3 station had no line. We went through quickly and upon arrival at the first departures screen in Terminal 3, I was disappointed to see that our 12:38 flight was delayed until 14:10. The last SFO-SAN just left at 11AM and the next scheduled was UA955 at 14:15. I went up to the counter and found that our flight was delayed due to no pilot, but a pilot was expected around 14:10 (the replacement pilot would be arriving from a SEA flight scheduled to arrive at 14:05, per the gate agent). I then asked to be placed on the waiting list for the 14:15 and hold my confirmed seat on UA852. I reviewed the arrivals screen and concluded that our pilot was missing because a flight from SEA scheduled to arrive 11:45 was cancelled.

9/30 1230-1400
SFO-SAN
UA852
B737-300
Economy Plus
6D/6E
Delayed 2 hours

Given the nearly 2 hour delay, we made our way to the domestic RCC and with my Int'l F BP stub and connecting flight delay, we were admitted. Crackers, soda, and pretzels are no consolation. I had hoped to enjoy lunch at home, now made impossible by the delay. I kept checking the RCC monitors to see if there were any updates or changes, there were none. At 1330, we made our way back to the gate for UA852 and there was no activity, they were still waiting for the pilot. At 1345, I checked UA955 and they began boarding. I decided at this time that if UA955 was already boarding and UA852 was not, there would be no way UA852 would get out first. So I visited the podium and the gate agent noted me on the waiting list and said he would let me know. 5 minutes later, he called me up and gave me two BP's 19B and 20E.

9/30 1415-1545
SFO-SAN
UA955
B737-300
Economy Plus
19B/20E
On-time

I ran to UA852 gate to get my fiancee (who I left there to check on the delayed flight) and we were one of the last to board UA955. As we walked to the back of the bus, I thought, "how undignified to have just come from Int'l F with 'fine' dining and service only to walk to the back of the bus on the domestic connection." This must be how the Int'l C and F passengers feel when connecting on TED...

UA955 left the gate before UA852, but we sat on the runway for about 15 minutes. I didn't hear anything on Ch9 about the delay, I think it was due to landing aircraft. When we touched down in SD, I saw the arrival screen and noted that UA852 landed about 15 minutes after UA955. I didn't save much time by flying standby, but I didn't want to take the chance that UA852 would be cancelled or delayed even further.


Post Trip

Overall, a wonderful trip down under for me. Without the special CNZ fare, we probably wouldn't have travelled down under for a few more years. I love a great bargain and the CNZ was too good to pass up. For 2 people, I spent about $4000 for all flights and $370 for 7 nights of accomodations! A first class experience for a economy price!

Although I was a bit disappointed at some of the can't miss sights (like Milford Sound and Antarctic Center) and the AKL weather (just unlucky), I am very happy with our trip. This trip had several firsts/personal bests:

1) Longest and furthest non-stop flights I have ever taken (SFO-SYD)
2) Most connections (WLG-AKL-SYD-SFO-SAN) in 1 day
3) My first upper deck experience (SFO-SYD)
4) My fiancee's first non-economy flights
5) Our first international first class seat (SYD-SFO, you can debate whether it is truly a first class experience in another thread)
6) My first Air New Zealand flight
7) My first Qantas flight
8) First visit to NZ
9) First visit to Australia
10) The furthest south I've ever been (ZQN)
11) 5 new airports (SYD, AKL, ZQN, CHC, WLG)

For those with more time on their trip, I would highly recommend driving. After reading comments from Kiwi Flyer and others about road conditions, I was a bit wary of driving in NZ. However, after seeing the road conditions myself, they were excellent and I don't think anyone should worry about driving conditions. The only exception would be during the the NZ winter, you probably should have some snow driving experience under your belt.

Another thing I would do differently is to take a bus from ZQN to CHC with a stopover at Mt Cook (if not renting a car). We flew from ZQN to CHC and in order for us to see Mt Cook, would have had to take a full day bus tour to Mt Cook and back (from either ZQN or CHC) and that would be a waste of a day. Hence I was glad to see Mt Cook on the left side of the aircraft when we flew ZQN-CHC.

I would definitely make a trip to Sydney Circular Quay if you have a layover of several hours in Sydney (and have never been before), especially since the ETA is free for CNZ fare!

I like the idea of having tax included in the price already and the custom of no tip. Although the level of service was slightly diminished (longer wait times at restaurants or checkin/out), I like the concept that people are providing good service based on pride in their job and not on the expectation of a bigger tip. Whenever we encountered great service, we tried to use non-monetary ways to show our appreciation (filling hotel comment cards with specific praises for the individuals with great service, referring friends to use a particular tour company, etc).

I checked my PC account and discovered that I received my 30k Visa bonus 10/2, which has bumped me to Platinum status. I'm am kicking myself for not having applied 1 month earlier so that the bonus would kick in before my trip so that I could have enjoyed all the Platinum perks during our Point Breaks stays! We definitely could have taken advantage of free breakfasts and lounge access with internet! Although we had a great vacation at a great price, as an ultimate bargain hunter I am always looking for better/cheaper (I don't classify myself as budget traveller but rather a bargain hunter).

The only other thing I would do next time is apply for a Capital One card prior to my next international trip. I hate the idea of paying 3% on all international CC transactions!

I am now 1P. I was approx 200 miles short of 1P prior to my SYD-SFO flight, so I only received a 25% bonus on that 7k+ mile flight rather than a 100% bonus. grrr! My fiance made 2P after SYD-AKL which posted immediately and her subsequent BP's all showed *A Silver/2P. Unfortunately, I don't have any additional trips planned yet to take advantage of our new elite status. I am eagerly awaiting the next MR deal on *A!

PS The kiwis I ate down there were so sweet and juicy (the fruit, that is)! So much better than the usually sour ones in the US. I suppose it is much like how pineapples taste so much better in Hawaii than when purchased at home.


Here are some links I found and used that you may find useful:
General
Air New Zealand (NZ website)
AA's 101 Must Do's for Kiwis
Frommer's New Zealand Guide
Westpac ATM Locator
ucsf_med's NZ Flickr Photos
FT New Zealand Forum

Auckland
AKL Airport
SkyCity Auckland
Orbit Restaurant
Airbus Express ($1 off coupon)

Queenstown
ZQN Airport (webcam)
Crowne Plaza Queenstown
Connect-A-Bus
EcoTours Milford Sound
Shotover Jet Boats
Patagonia Chocolates
Skyline (Gondola | Luge | Buffet | Haka)

Christchurch
CHC Airport
Crowne Plaza Christchurch
City Flyer
Christchurch Free Shuttle
CHC Best Attractions Shuttle
International Antarctic Centre
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve

Wellington
WLG Airport
Intercontinental Wellington
Airport Flyer
Flat Earth Experiences
Wellington Cable Car Museum
Wellington Botanical Gardens
Te Papa Museum

Sydney
SYD Airport
AirportLink of CityRail
Harbor Bridge Climb

Gatwick Alan

Great report.
It reminds me of when i took my first trip to New Zealand 4 years ago, i agree that driving is the best way to see the sights. I found driving easy, but being English it was like driving at home. Always allow more time than you think for the journey, i found i kept stopping as there was another great sight around every corner.
While i love reading the reports from our experts, its also great to read the enthusiasm from someone experiencing business or first class for the first time, i hope i can convey things as well as you when i take my first first trip next march.

jswong

Exceptional report. I'm glad you enjoyed NZ and got to have a taste of Sydney! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with other FT'ers. Last time I was in the SYD NZ Lounge the Wifi was down (and had been for a few months) so i'm excited to hear it is back up. It was great to meet you both and hopefully we'll have a chance to catch up in SAN in May

Jeff

boxo

Thanks for the report. Lots of handy info for another first-timer. ^

(Mwenenzi posted a link in the ZQN DO thread.)

gleff

Excellent trip report, congratulations on experiencing int'l F and bringing a companion into the world of international premium class travel as well! ^

DiscoPapa

Great trip report! Thanks for posting, along with the pictures! While I don't consider this time "wasted" in any sense, now I HAVE to get back to studying for the CPA exam....no excuses now, haha!

Kiwi Flyer

Great report ucsf_med ^^^, glad you enjoyed your trip.

upgrade lover

Great Trip Report!! Now you have experienced the famous take off "thump" in the front of a 747 ^ I remember my first time oh so well

GoingAway

Great job on the trip report ....

- At AKL, when you checked in for the return flights - did you go into the premium lounge area or just to the counter? The agents, at least in the premium area, will take your NZ departure fee and process it for you there (no need for second stop), also there is a dedicated immigration person with a separate escalator that puts you in front of the security line (not that I've seen much of a security line there yet)
- Also, did you get invites to the arrivals lounge at SFO? Sounds like your connection was tight, so you were rushing to your flight, but otherwise it's a nice stop before dealing with security again
- Don't sweat not having your plat status before your trip, it wouldn't have garnered you anything at least not at CHC CP (plat didn't get me anything) or the IC (they look at the ambassador sts), don't know about ZQN

ucsf_med

At AKL return, I didn't know there was a premium lounge where I could check-in. We had a tight connection and I went directly to the regular NZ counter. The premium lounge sounds like a good tip, especially for those with tight connections.

I didn't know my connecting flight was delayed otherwise I would have gone to the arrivals lounge at SFO to spend the time. That would have been a nice experience. I remember reading on a different thread that it closed by late morning anyway?

Thanks for that feedback about PC Platinum, sounds like I didn't miss anything at all!

FLYGVA

Great report.

I flying on this errorfare myself in February from LAX to AKL and back via SFO and therefore your report was interesting and helpful.

restlessinRNO

Outstanding trip report. Great pictures. Very valuable - as I'm travelling SFO-SYD-AKL in January.

uncertaintraveler

Thanks for writing. Loved the photos.