wijomas

Good luck with that

AKLDUBFlyer

It was good to meet Itsalongwaydown and Mrs. Itsalongwaydown for drinks this evening.

For those of you with time in AKL on 15 Dec, I may try to organize something if there are enough people around at the same time.....or we could organize a continuous 36 hour session where people come and go as they can

NZ_Flyer

I'm around AKL at that time and would be keen (not wanting to hijack wijomas's thread and DO).

wijomas

Also keen - I return to AKL at 1235 on the 15th. ^

wijomas

All,

The bus charter to get us all to where we need to be in a timely fashion () that weekend has turned into quite an expensive exercise. Unfortunately, these costs are going to range between $1000 - $1500 NZD for transporting us to and from each activity.

This can't really be avoided due to the distance, and I'm happy to cover the majority of it. However, to the payments form I've added in various "transport options" - $25, $50, $75, or $100. I would really appreciate if you could select one of these to make a contribution towards these costs, if you're able to.

If you're on all the prepaid events and choose the maximum transport contribution, that's only $180 NZD for an awesome weekend. And those of you staying at the beach are saving money on hotels too!

If you have financial constraints, please don't feel obligated to make a contribution. However, similarly, if you have won Lotto in the last few weeks/months, feel free to make plenty of $100 contributions. You can add as many to your cart as you like!

Thank you for your attention. Normal programming shall now resume.

Will

wandering_fred

At the moment Mrs WF and I will be driving AKL-->Napier on Friday and return on Monday. Times are flexible as flights are Thu and Tue

Car not yet booked so if anyone is interested in joining us please PM and I will upgrade to a larger car...

Should be able to help with the driving over the weekend with Mrs WF the designated driver though am equally happy with the bus.

Happy wandering

Fred

serfty

You can save up to NZD35 by picking up a hire car from Auckland rather than an airport location.

tuapekastar

That was our original plan, but I decided the drive looked a bit long, and booked (non-refundable) airfares instead. Pity, shared driving may have made it ok...

See y'all there!

wandering_fred

I haven't looked into the options about getting downtown (yet)
Is there a shuttle at reasonable cost? Too costly getting downtown sort of defeats the $35 savings unless it is per da.

Is there a recommendation for a hotel downtown(ish)?

Fred

serfty

Yep, that's the killer.

I guess it is more useful if you were stating in AKL in the first place.

At leat the Airport Surcharges are not normally charged daily (unlike in Oz).

You can return to the airport for no additonal charge.

Thai-Kiwi

All, an update from me.

I now have an engagement in the Manawatu on Fri night, so I suspect that self and son will meet you for lunch on Sat. Earlier arrival unlikely given an expected late night...

I have a work holiday home (3BR) booked for Sat night now ($35) in Havelock North, which is about 30km from Waimarama. I'll stay there, and am very happy to provide free accom if Will's place is full. Happy to work things out 'on the fly' on Sat.

I have the 5 hour drive to WLG on Sunday, and will depart the area after lunch.

See you all there! TK

Bundy Bear

Have booked my flights from New Zealand on Monday 14 Dec: LA 801 connecting to QF516

So which airline do I choose to get to Auckland;

Thur 10

BNE-AKL on QF 5:45PM ARRIVE 23:50PM (have to leave work earlier)
or
BNE-AKL on DJ 6:40PM ARRIVE 12:40AM (more time for work on Thursday)
or
something more adventurous.

AKL-NPE-AKL booked ages ago.

Ended up booking with Qantas; it leaves earlier so will need to leave work earlier.

chchkiwi

Have finally nailed down transportation and will be flying CHC-WGN on Thursday then by Intercity Bus to Napier on Friday arriving around lunch time. Will most likely spend the afternoon with rellies, then join you all for drinkies at 5:00 p.m. as arranged. Will be departing Napier on Sunday at 3:45 p.m. so will be able to attend the lunch, but unfortunately not the evening meal. (It's my mother's 89th birthday on the Monday, so need to get back to CHC.)

So, not only do I look forward to seeing you all again, but also to experiencing a part of the country with which I am not at all familiar.

Safe and happy travels to all.

wijomas

Waitangi?

chchkiwi

Changed my mind - will go to WLG instead (You can tell how often I fly there!)