CHRISTCHURCH to NELSON (CHC-NSN) on NZ Saab 340

After a while spend in the warm lounge it is time to brave the cold outside to cross the tarmac and board the next flight of the day. The flight is fairly empty so I have room to spread out and put my bag in an empty seat rather than trying to jam it into the tiny overhead bin or take up my legroom.

Most of the very low cloud has dissipated and so beneath the high cloud we have views across the plains to the hills and mountains. As we fly north we pass through this cloud. This is a shame as I'd been looking forward to this flight, for much of the way is over mountain ranges and valleys. On the Nelson side we break free of the cloud just before we reach the small plain. We do a sharp low altitude 180 degree turn just off Tahunanui Beach, the wingtip seemingly just a few metres off the water, before flying over the golf course and landing back into the strong wind. We are buffetted around a lot and so the landing is rather rough.

When we park up outside the terminal the FA waits several minutes for the propellers to stop turning before realising the wind is strong enough to keep them going around. The aircraft is rocking on the ground, and this motion causes me to mis-step coming down the stairs. I avoided a nasty tumble but got a bruised shin for my efforts.