jacob_m

After a short report from Rarotonga, here is also a short report from Tahiti and French Polynesia, my second destination in the South Pacific.

Tahiti (the main islands in French Polynesia) turned out to be very different from Rarotonga and Cook Islands (one may easily think that the whole South Pacific is the same).
Tahiti was much more developed and populated with large roads, plenty of traffic, shopping centres, and even a proper rush hour.
Being in or around Papeete (the main city in French Polynesia) was like being in any small to medium sized city.
Another major difference is that French Polynesia is extremely expensive, one of the most expensive places I have ever visited, while Cook Islands was very affordable.
French Polynesia is also part of France (an overseas territory, or “Dom-Tom” as it’s called in French) and one of the reasons for the high prices is that so many things are imported and shipped from France.
I visited a large Carrefour supermarket for example (one of the large chains in France) and all electronic appliances there had CDG written as origin on the packages, of course things get expensive if you ship them all the way from France.
French is the official language in French Polynesia as well as Polynesian, as I have lived in France for some time I had no problems getting by.
I also found it interesting that many Tahitians seemed to share the French mentality, despite being on the other side of the world. Strikes are quite common in Tahiti for example, and I noticed I got much better service everywhere speaking French than the other tourists who spoke only English (just like in France!).

Sofitel Tahiti Resort

I took a taxi from the airport to my hotel in Tahiti. Even though the hotel was only maybe 2-3 km from the airport I was charged well over 15 USD for the ride (yes it’s an expensive island, they use Polynesian Francs as currency btw).
The taxi driver told me there was a strike at the hotel (oh yes, this is France, why am I not surprised) and he thought the hotel might even be closed and asked me if I wanted to go elsewhere.
Fortunately it wasn’t, but there were some employees blocking the small road to the hotel entrance, so you had to walk around 100 meters to get to the hotel.
I didn’t bother reading their banners, but I'm pretty sure it was something about work conditions or higher salaries, that's what it usually is.
The bellboy noticed my taxi had stopped at the main road and came to greet me with a cart, which was very appreciated.

The Sofitel Tahiti Resort (formerly Sofitel Maeva) was quite nice and had been renovated just a few months ago, something you could well notice.
It is not as fancy as some other upmarket hotels in Tahiti and the other islands in French Polynesia (Moorea, Bora Bora etc), but I thought it was absolutely perfect for my needs and also fairly affordable to be French Polynesia.
The hotel had a nice pool area and also a private beach, perfect for some relaxation. The lobby was also quite nice and behind the reception desk they had TV-screens showing short clips about Tahiti, never seen that before, nice to watch if you had to wait at the reception to be served.
And did I mention they had happy hour in the bar in the early evening?

I also ended up getting a nice room with a very nice sea view from my balcony, even though I had only paid for a room with garden view, perhaps speaking French helped me once again?!
They actually had a fun time at the bar figuring out where I came from. I spoke too good French to have only learnt it in school, but the accent was still not completely French (Tahiti is packed with French tourists) so French I was not, one girl at the bar guessed I was Canadian!

Pics from the hotel
The entrance to Sofitel Tahiti Resort
The nice lobby with TV-screens behind the reception
The view from my balcony
The mountain on Tahiti seen from my balcony
The garden, pool area, and private beach of the hotel
That’s Moorea on the other side
Sunset over Tahiti

A Polynesian dance show in Tahiti

One of the things I really wanted to do in Tahiti was to visit a traditional Polynesian dance show.
Many of the hotels offer these shows so I asked at the hotel reception if they could recommend a place to go.
They didn’t have any shows in my hotel any of the days I was staying, but the receptionist found out there was a show at the Intercontinental hotel just a short walk from my hotel, that very evening, excellent!
There was no entry fee, but one was expected to either have dinner there or at least a drink in the bar. There was also a surcharge for the best seats in the bar, the ones with the best view (which I actually paid).

The IC hotel was packed with people enjoying the show, and nowadays even the locals come to these shows, there is an increasing interest among young people to learn these traditional dances.
The dancers in the show were really good, very talented, and there was also a good band playing. I very much enjoy seeing it!!
And did I mention those Polynesian women are really handsome?!

Pics from the Polynesian dance show
The show has started
Nice looking Tahitian girls!
They are actually looking at me!!
A guy from the audience, lucky guy!
Girls playing with fire! Well done!
The band playing to the right

A visit to Papeete

One of the afternoons I made a visit to Papeete, the main city in Tahiti and French Polynesia.
The sun was a bit too strong to sunbath for a long time anyway and the temperature was as much as 32-33 degrees during the day.
To get to Papeete I got to experience the traditional Tahitian buses called “Le Truck”, basically it’s a lorry/truck converted into a bus with wooden benches and open windows, sometimes they are also painted in nice colours.
You pay the driver through the window before getting on, and when you want to get off you indicate that to him through the rear-view mirror (unless there is a normal button to press).
Using "les trucks" is also really cheap, a one-way ticket is 130 Francs (less than 1 USD), but most importantly it's one heck of an experience!

Papeete itself was quite nice, some people have described it as a dump, but I really don’t agree.
There were plenty of shops and restaurants there, a large port, some nice buildings to look at, basically it’s a proper city.
I also found the indoor market interesting to visit, and the prices there were also fairly reasonable (but you still don’t make any bargains in Tahiti).

After a few hours in Papeete with a bit of shopping I took “le Truck” back to the hotel in Faa'a.
Papeete bus station was quite a sight, just a long line of buses with a small sign on front of each bus indicating the destination.
There are no timetables for les trucks, basically they leave either when they are full, or when the drivers feel like it.
The good thing though is that they leave fairly frequently, and the one that passes the airport and my hotel operates around the clock (but of course during the night you never really know when the bus will arrive).
It was rush hour when I went back, so the bus was completely full and the traffic was annoyingly slow.

Pics from Papeete
”Le Truck” (the local bus) to Papeete
Papeete city centre
The indoor market in Papeete
Papeete bus station, quite a sight!
Inside “Le Truck” on the way back to the hotel in Faa’a. A very fun experience!!

Airframe

I have been reading this from the start and must just add my thoughts at this point.

What a fabulous fabulous trip report this is ! ^ ^

It ranks as one of the best I have ever read on FT, a certain :-: :-: :-: :-: :-: report. The pictures, detail and style of writing make me eagerly await the next installment. It feels as if I have been making the trip myself at times.

Mmmmm the slight dilema I have now though is trying to convince Mrs Airframe to do a RTW trip in C or F before we start a family ! This could be a problem however as its hard enough getting her to take connecting flights

Kiwi Flyer

Woohoo some more reading material for the next flight. Thanks jacob_m ^

jacob_m

The flight from Tahiti was leaving at 2.40 am, I really don’t understand why the planes have to leave at such inhuman hours.
I had paid extra to keep my hotel room until 10 pm and obviously checked out at the very last minute. I spent some time in the lobby and in the business centre before leaving for the airport around midnight.
The taxi was once again bloody expensive, even more expensive than from the airport. It is amazing how much they charge you for a five-minute ride, and then there is a surcharge for luggage as well.
If I didn’t have the heavy luggage I could have walked to the airport, certainly doable, and I had no lack of time anyway.

Check-in

The Air NZ check-in area was already open when I arrived at the airport just after midnight, but it was packed with people. Apparently an Air Tahiti Nui flight to Sydney had been cancelled the night before due to a mechanical problem, so all passengers had been rebooked to my Air NZ flight to Auckland and then onwards from Auckland to Sydney (with a five hour layover in Auckland!!).
This did not come as a surprise to me, there was a note in the hotel lobby about it and Air Tahiti Nui offered a free pick-up for stranded passengers.

I went to one of the members of staff and asked where the priority check-in desks were since I could only see desks marked economy class.
I was told there were no business class check-in desks, they used those check-in desks for the rebooked Air Tahiti Nui passengers while all regular Air NZ passengers (irrespective of class) had to use the economy class check-in desks.
Just after me another man arrived and he asked exactly the same thing and didn’t really understand why someone who had bought an expensive business class ticket should be penalised just because another airline had cancelled a flight.
Good point! But in all fairness the regular line moved quickly anyway, it was the line with all rebooked passengers that was extremely long and slow.

Check-in was swift by a young Tahitian woman. My luggage was tagged all the way to Christchurch although I was told I had to collect it and take it through customs in Auckland.
I also received an invitation to the airport lounge in the transit hall.

After check-in you have to take your luggage yourself to a security point in the middle of the terminal where the luggage is x-rayed before being sent to the baggage sorting area.
Considering the layout of the check-in area it is obvious that the baggage-screening requirement is something very new.
I made my way through passport control (again completely hassle-free with an EU-passport) and security to the transit hall.
The transit hall in Papeete is surely something different. It looks a bit 60’s (or possibly 70’s), quite dark and dated, but at the same time it’s very exotic. They also have a little garden between the transit hall and immigration hall, quite nice!
I tried to find something in one of the tax-free shops to buy to get rid of my last Polynesian money, but I didn’t really find anything except for some extra batteries, I decided to go to the lounge instead.

Pics
Tahiti Faaa airport
The Air NZ check-in to Auckland
The transit hall at the airport, quite exotic!
The small garden in the transit hall

Premium lounge (used by all airlines), Papeete airport

There is only one lounge in Papeete used by all airlines at the airport, that basically means Air Tahiti Nui, Air NZ, and possibly one or two other airlines (the sign outside mentioned JAL).
The lounge is located on the first floor and has a nice view of the apron, it ended up being quite full after a while as there were four departures between 1.30 am and 3 am, Air Tahiti Nui to LAX and Tokyo, Air NZ to LAX, and finally my Air NZ plane to Auckland.
There were some miniature sandwiches and miniature desserts to eat, very nice snacks, but there was nothing substantial to eat except for some fruits. Since I was starting to feel quite hungry and had to stay up for another two hours I went to the snack bar opposite the lounge to buy a Croque Monsieur to bring into the lounge (I managed to find a way to spend my last Polynesian money after all…).
Overall the lounge was fairly nice with friendly staff and a good amount of drinks.
The lounge chairs were also quite comfortable, and I did my best to get some rest as this was going to be a long night.

Pics
The entrance to the airport lounge at Tahiti airport
Inside the lounge
The self-service buffet area
Drinks and cool miniature desserts
View from the lounge, that Air Tahiti Nui plane is going to LAX
My plane to Auckland has just landed

Papeete-Auckland, flight NZ 041 operated by Air New Zealand
Departure: 02:40
Arrival: 07:45
Aircraft: Boeing 767
Class: Business Class
Seat: 03K

I left the lounge before the boarding announcement had been made as I wanted to get onboard the plane as early as possible.
I waited in the gate area and was one of the first passengers to board. There are no passenger bridges in Papeete, you just walk through a covered “tunnel” to the apron and then straight onboard the plane.
I was greeted by a smiling staff and was offered champagne before departure. There was a pillow and a blanket on the seat, but no amenity kits were offered which I think is quite bad considering this was a 6-hour nighttime flight.
After I had finished my champagne I went into the lavatory and changed into my ANA sleeper suit pants, certainly better than sleeping in my regular clothes.
The flight ended up being completely full with all the rebooked Air Tahiti Nui passengers, there was only one empty seat in business class.

We pushed back 10 minutes late and took-off shortly afterwards from runway 22.
The seatbelt sign was turned off within just five minutes after take-off and the crew immediately started preparing for the inflight service.
They actually served breakfast right after departure, which I found very strange. It was 3 am, and at that point most passengers just wanted to get some sleep after already having spent half the night in the transit hall at the airport.
Well I thought it wouldn’t hurt getting something to eat before going to bed (rather than waking up hungry in the middle of the night) so I asked the staff to prepare my table for the breakfast service. Less than 50% of the passengers chose to have breakfast in business class.
A bowl with fresh fruit and yoghurt were offered followed by a hot dish.
They didn’t hand out any menus so I can’t remember exactly what they had onboard, but there were two options and I had potatoes and pancakes which was quite good, I guess the other option was traditional English breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon etc.
Bread rolls, toast, croissants and muffins were also offered as well as fruit juices, coffee and tea. But no coffee for me as I wanted to get some sleep.

Fortunately the breakfast service was quick, probably didn’t take more than 20-30 minutes, and afterwards I could finally go to bed.
The aircraft used was a Boeing 767 with the old business class in a 2-2-2 configuration, so no lie-flat onboard and certainly no mattresses and duvets either.
I still found the seat quite comfortable though, it could be reclined 60 degrees or so I guess, so I managed to sleep (or at least doze off) for at least 3-4 hours onboard. The only problem was that I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very thirsty after lots of drinks in the lounge (to sleep better onboard!) and champagne, no problems getting a few bottles of water though.

We started our descent around 7.30 am New Zealand time. It was a bit strange not being offered any breakfast (when it was in fact breakfast time) but they did offer fruit juices, smoothies, coffee and tea prior to landing.
I went into the lavatory to change back into my regular clothes, and unfortunately there were no smoothies left when I returned to my seat, but a cup of coffee is always appreciated.
I chatted a bit with one of the nice flight attendants in the galley and asked them if they had spent any time in Tahiti, but apparently they had arrived on the same aircraft an hour earlier. I thought that sounded quite a lot, six hours to Tahiti and six hours back to Auckland, and then preparing the cabin before each flight, that’s at least 14-15 hours.

We landed in Auckland just before 8 am, about 10 minutes late.
As I was in business class and managed to collect my stuff quite quickly I was one of the first persons to leave the plane and the very first person to get to immigration.
I was obviously a bit nervous there would be lots of questions again after all the trouble on my previous two entries, but passport control was completely hassle-free.
The immigration officer had a look through my passport (lots of stamps) and before even being asked about it I told him I was on a round the world trip, but he told me he was in fact looking for a used page with some empty space not to waste empty pages as new passports are expensive. Oh! Well that’s thoughtful!

Again the priority tag worked like a dream, and believe it or not I was not asked a single question at customs either other than the usual stuff (if I was bringing any food etc).
I was in the arrivals hall less than 20 minutes after getting off the plane, and I was amazed (and very relieved) both immigration and customs were so smooth.
Perhaps that note the customs guy in Wellington promised to make in my profile helped me this time?! ^

Pics
The boarding to Auckland is just about to begin
View from the plane as we push back in Tahiti
Breakfast to Auckland
More breakfast to Auckland

A nice surprise at Auckland airport

My connecting flight to Christchurch was not leaving until 5 pm (and it was now around 8.20 am).
The only reason why I booked such a late flight was that I could not stay longer than 24 hours in Christchurch (this award trip does not allow stopovers) so I booked myself on the first flight from Auckland to Christchurch (with available award seats) that would arrive as close to 24 hours as possible before the flight from Christchurch to Sydney the next day, which turned out to be the 5 pm departure.
In Papeete they had already tagged my luggage to Christchurch and I already had a boarding pass, so my plan was to deposit my luggage again at the airport and then spend another day in Auckland.

I went to the domestic transfer counter in the international terminal (I have read reports on FT that it had been closed, well it’s still certainly there). I approached the empty check-in counter and the check-in agent asked me where I was flying and on which airline. I told her Air NZ to Christchurch.
She then asked me at what time my flight was leaving, if it’s less than an hour left before departure they want you to take your luggage yourself to the domestic terminal.
She was quite surprised to hear my flight was not until 5 pm, and this is where the surprise comes, she offered me to take an earlier flight to Christchurch if I was interested.
I told her I was very interested (by now you know the reason for the late flight), but to be rebooked I had to go to the domestic terminal, so I went outside and just as I got there the free transfer bus arrived.

In the domestic terminal they confirmed it was OK to go earlier (even though this was an award ticket, certainly not flexible). The agent asked me if I wanted to go straight away, but I actually had one thing I wanted to do in Auckland so I suggested the 2 pm departure instead (there is a departure every hour) and that was OK, a minute later I was rebooked.
My baggage was re-tagged but I noticed afterwards I got a really lousy seat, well time to test the helpfulness of the lounge staff.

Before going to downtown Auckland I made a visit to the domestic Koru Club where I knew they had showers. At the reception I asked about my seat assignment and it turned out my gold card was not in the reservation, after entering it I was given a new boarding pass with seat 05F, perfect!
That shower did wonders after half the night spent at the airport and the second half onboard a plane, and afterwards I had some more breakfast from the very extensive buffet before going to central Auckland.

I spent the morning in Auckland and did some last minute shopping I had planned to do before going back to the airport around noon.
The traffic back to the airport was slow!! Annoyingly slow!! It took over an hour to get back to the airport even though the airport is not that far from the city centre. Interestingly it took only half that time to get to Auckland in the morning, about 30 mins.
I was back at the airport only 50 minutes before departure, a lot later than expected, but fortunately no line at all at security so still some time left for lunch in the lounge.

Air New Zealand domestic Koru Club, Auckland

The lounge agent from the morning was still there and recognised me. I had told her about my plans for the day so she was not surprised to see me again and welcomed me back without looking too much at my boarding pass and gold card.

The domestic Air NZ lounge in Auckland is really nice and quite modern.
As in most Air NZ lounges I have visited there was a very extensive self-service buffet and plenty to drink. I really had a proper lunch in the lounge with cold cuts, pasta salad and a bread roll and then apricot tart and a cup of coffee afterwards.
I almost envy you Kiwis who frequently get to visit these nice Air NZ lounges.
All too soon boarding was announced to Christchurch and it was time to leave, although I could happily have spent some more time in the lounge. Oh well…

Pics
The entrance to the domestic Koru Club in Auckland
Inside the lounge
The main sitting area
The nice self-service buffet
Plenty to drink in the lounge

Auckland-Christchurch, flight NZ 535 operated by Air New Zealand
Departure: 14:00 (Rebooked from NZ 969 17:00-18:20)
Arrival: 15:20
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Class: Economy Class (one class only)
Seat: 05F

They had already started boarding when I got to the gate right next to the lounge.
Funnily on domestic flights they don’t insert the boarding pass in a machine as they do at most airports, instead they just scan the barcode on the boarding pass, quite unusual!
The flight ended up being completely full except for one seat which was broken. We pushed back 10 minutes late as they had to offload some luggage of a no-show.

I don’t remember much of the flight as I was very tired and slept most of it.
I think they offered coffee, tea and water which is the standard service concept on domestic flights. I think I remember having some coffee onboard, but I’m not sure if it helped (seems like it didn't).
The weather around Christchurch was quite nice, so I got to enjoy a very nice scenery of the South Island during the approach, the island is very green!

We landed 5 mins late in Christchurch and were quickly parked at the gate.
Once again my priority-tagged suitcases were the first on the belt, the priority tag has really worked at every single airport in New Zealand so far, irrespective of aircraft and origin. I’m impressed! ^

Pics
The Boeing 737 to Christchurch
Boarding has begun for NZ 535 to Christchurch
Nice views of the South Island during the flight
Seconds before landing in Christchurch, I can understand why it’s called “the garden city”!
The domestic terminal at Christchurch airport, plenty of Air NZ B737

jacob_m

I arrived at the airport around one and a half hour before departure.
The line for the Air New Zealand international premium check-in was horrendously long and hardly even moved, apparently a guy tried to check in a surfer board which required a lot of extra work.
Just like another few people I decided to join the regular line instead which seemed to move faster, however it actually took just as much time and funnily I ended up checking in at the business class counter anyway since that desk was empty when it was my turn. Oh well…
While I was waiting the baggage belt also broke down, right in the busy afternoon with several Air NZ flights departing. At first they left the bags behind the check-in desks while some airport employees tried to make the system work again, however 10-15 minutes later the system was still not working properly and the situation became unmanageable with so many departing passengers, so they had to bring large trolleys to move all the bags away from the check-in area.
I felt so sorry for them!

When it was my turn to check-in the belt was finally working again.
The check-in agent was friendly but seemed tired after all the problems, she couldn’t remember the prefix for SAS when she entered my frequent flyer number and she apologised for it.
I told her that was not very strange since Scandinavia is pretty much on the other side of the world, but she said they actually get quite a lot of SAS elite members in Christchurch (I was a bit surprised to hear that) so she should know it.
I also paid the departure tax of 25 NZD at the check-in desk before going airside.

Both passport and security were quick and efficient and I was in the transit hall just five minutes after leaving check-in and went to the international Air NZ lounge. The lounge was actually a bit hard to find even though I had checked on a map where it was located.

Pics
Christchurch airport
Still a long way from home!
Air New Zealand international check-in
This is what it looks like when a baggage belt breaks down!
The bright international transit hall in Christchurch

Air New Zealand international lounge, Christchurch

The entrance to the lounge was very blue (as you can see on the photo), the door to the lounge was locked so I had to ring on a bell, and it took a while before the lounge attendant came to open.
The lounge was quite small and very crowded this afternoon with flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane leaving virtually at the same time, it was actually hard to find an empty seat.
The lounge looked a bit old and worn and should well need a facelift, but since they have recently refurbished the domestic lounge in Christchurch, maybe the international lounge is next?!
There was a small buffet available with some cold cuts, bread rolls and hot quiches to eat. Also the standard Air NZ drinks selection, i.e. a pretty good selection!
There was also one single internet computer, but the connection was very slow.
As the boarding announcement for the Brisbane flight was made the lounge got a bit emptier and I could move to a seat next to the window facing the apron.

Pics
The entrance to the international Air NZ lounge in Christchurch
Inside the lounge
The self-service buffet area
View from the lounge, that’s actually my plane to Sydney!

Christchurch-Sydney, flight NZ 783 operated by Air New Zealand
Departure: 15:45
Arrival: 17:15
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Class: Business Class
Seat: 02A

Boarding had already started when I arrived at the gate, adjacent to the lounge, so I could walk straight onboard.
At the gate I saw a large group of people in sports clothes, I think I saw the Union Jack on the clothes as well, but I didn’t think much more about it and very soon it was my turn to board anyway.
Once onboard I was offered newspapers and a pre-departure drink (bubbles!), and just afterwards the sports team came onboard.
At the same time the captain made an announcement and welcomed us all onboard, and he also offered a special welcome to the British national rugby team!! Oh!!
Funnily I had actually watched a bit of the game on TV the night before (the Brits unfortunately lost), but I never realised it was played in Christchurch.
As the team boarded I also had the newspaper in front of me, and there were several pages about the game and I even recognised some of the guys from the photos in the paper.
They didn’t look too happy though after the loss…

We departed right on time, but since the weather was not the best this afternoon the nice view of the South Island quickly turned into clouds.

The menus were then handed out, and this is my last Air New Zealand business class menu on this trip:

The food was very good on this flight and I had the chicken risotto ravioli to eat.
The man next to me noticed I seemed quite familiar with both the service concept onboard and the wines on offer (well after 7 Air NZ flights in C, not all too surprising) so he actually said “the same” pointing at me when it was his turn to order.
I congratulated him on an excellent choice and he just laughed and told me he was happy to get some recommendations, at least for the wine. I think he actually enjoyed the spicy Pinot Noir!
I asked for a whiskey with the coffee, but they didn’t have the Chivas Regal onboard (my favourite) even though it was listed on the drink list, but Glenfiddich is OK as well I guess.

I spent the rest of the flight watching American Dreamz on my personal-DVD player.
Hilarious movie, but some parts are a bit stupid.

The weather in Sydney was superb, and since we landed from the north we made our descent over the city centre and I got an absolutely spectacular view of the city from my seat.
The camera was of course ready and I got some amazing photos of downtown Sydney, the harbour bridge and the opera house.

In Sydney there was no problem entering Australia for the second time in less than two weeks, not a question, I don’t even think I had to show a return ticket.
The baggage delivery was a disappointment though, all the priority-tagged bags seemed to be in the last batch rather than the first.

Pics
The South Island minutes after take-off from Christchurch
Red wine and American Dreamz on my personal DVD-player
The drink cart in business class
Appetizer
Main course
Dessert
Fantastic view of Sydney during the approach!! Both the opera house and the harbour bridge are easy to recognise!

I had a room booked at one of the airport hotels in Sydney as I was leaving Australia already the following day, it just did not make sense to book accommodation in the city centre.
The hotel (Holiday Inn) was quite close to the Mascot station though, so I decided to make a quick visit to Sydney in the evening.
This weekend they were doing construction works on the railway line between the airport (+Mascot) and the city centre, so there was a replacement bus in operation, and it turned out to be completely free. Nice!

Summary of my award ticket

This completes my Star Alliance Pacific award ticket! So what do you think?
Not too bad flying Sydney-Wellington-Auckland-Rarotonga-Papeete-Auckland-Christchurch-Sydney in business class (except the two domestic flights) for only 40,000 points!!
Total distance was 8598 miles (basically two transatlantic flights) and total travel time around 20 hours (of which 18 hours were in C)!
I think that was one of the best deals I have ever made, flying all that on a paid ticket would have cost a significant amount of money, and Air New Zealand is such a nice airline with great service and great food and drinks, and not to forget nice lounges! ^
I'm very satisfied!! I could not have used my points any better...

Here is a map of my award ticket routing!

And here is a map of all my travels so far on this trip!

Next it’s time for my first flight with Singapore Airlines in First class, which I know some of you have been waiting for…

jacob_m

WOW!! That was certainly not a bad comment!!
Thank you very much!! I'm glad you enjoyed it and hopefully will enjoy the rest of it as well (about 70% completed now, but still quite a lot more to come, including some real goodies).

I agree!! I think all the Air NZ crews I had were very good.
What I like about them is that they are professional, they do a good job, and they treat you well and respectfully (as a premium passenger in particular).
But at the same time they are friendly and laid-back, they are happy to have a chat with you if you want, and it doesn't feel awkward in any way.

I was there during the same period. The weather was not nice at all, cold, grey and rainy!! Not what you would expect Australia to be like.
But Sydney itself is nice, as are the people!

Haha!
Yeah the example you gave was quite amusing (that you could hear the rain hitting the nose of the B747). But I was actually very surprised you could!
Maybe we can find more similarities...

That's good to hear (or not to hear perhaps, well you get my point...).
Of all the countries and destinations included during the trip NZ was certainly not a country where I had expected any problems at immigration and customs.
I booked the award ticket which required three entries in NZ without any worries whatsoever. That's why I was so surprised!
But I have to add they were never ever rude to me, and I was never treated with anything but respect. It was just annoying, tiring, and time-consuming.

SMART51

FT was down for a day.So i really missed reading your report.We should join all together to keep you travelling for the rest of your life
The picture of Sydney is really beautiful well done^

Steady-EDI

Well, I said I was hooked in Post 5 and I still am! This has been a hugely enjoyable record of a fantastic trip so far - and it's not over yet

I echo the comments about your SYD approach : an excellent picture of what must have been an amazing experience.

Your award side-trip was an inspired idea and it has got me thinking. I would love to do a *A RTW sometime, but it may not be realistic unless I resign myself to losing my OW status. On the other hand, another OW RTW with a *A side trip such as yours ...

upgrade lover

This is fast becoming my favorite trip report ever! What an adventure. I echo the sentiment that I was missing the next installment when the board was down. I have to add that I love your pictures and comments about the food service.
The 40,000 FF miles for all that C travel is really amazing! Can't wait to see where SK brings you.

Keep up the great reports. ^

Gotta Requalify

Well Done! You were just robbed by the Government and all the other people that get revenue for that. But I am sure the extra taxes you paid were appreciated by the people of NZ.

Being in NZ for less than 24 hours, you didn't need to pay it.

Also - how come your luggage wasn't checked in at Auckland, through to Sydney? You should have been able to get a boarding pass and everything for your flight when you checked it.

As I said before - great report, keep it up.

henry999

You're not paying attention!

He told us:

Papeete-Auckland
Departure: 02:40
Arrival: 07:45

Auckland-Christchurch
Departure: 14:00
Arrival: 15:20

then

> Christchurch-Sydney with Air New Zealand in C

> I arrived at the airport around one and a half hour before departure.

and

Christchurch-Sydney
Departure: 15:45
Arrival: 17:15

So...

If (a) he arrived in Christchurch from Auckland at 15:20; and (b) he "arrived at the airport around one and a half hour before departure" for his flight from Christchurch to Sydney; and (c) the CHC-SYD flight departed at 15:45...

Then...it looks like CHC-SYD was the next day.

If he arrived at AKL at 07:45 one day and left from CHC at 15:45 the next day...then he was in NZ for more than 24 hours and needed to pay the departure tax!

cheers,

Henry

ghia74

Great report jacob_m. I came to this forum 2 hours ago to find a thread on Italy and your thread caught my eye. Well I just got done reading everything and eagerly await the rest of your write up.

jacob_m

Henry999 is right, I stayed overnight in Christchurch and got to spend a full day in this very charming little city.
That was the nice thing about the routing, that I also got to spend a day in Wellington on the way to the Pacific Islands, and a day in Christchurch on the way back.
The visit to Christchurch was also the reason for the long layover in Auckland. Since my flight from CHC to SYD left at 3.45 pm and my ticket did not allow stopovers, I had to arrive in CHC at the very earliest 3.45 pm not to breach this rule. That's why I was so happy when they were willing to rebook me to an earlier flight in Auckland.
Even though I decided to stay a few hours in Auckland I still ended up spending more than 24 hours in CHC (3.20 pm - 3.45 pm the following day).

Since my flight from PPT landed at 7.45 am and my flight from CHC to SYD left at 3.45 pm the next day I had to pay the departure tax.
But I didn't have to pay it on the outbound flights, arriving in WLG at 11.25 pm and leaving AKL 9.00 pm the next day.
I didn't have to pay it in Rarotonga either.
So I'm afraid they didn't get that much money out of me after all...

jacob_m

Time for a flight I was very much looking forward to, and a flight I know some people here have been waiting for.
It's time to test Singapore Airlines in First class, 8 hours between Sydney and Singapore on a Boeing 747 equipped with the SkySuites.
I had very high expectations of the flight, but I can assure you already now I was not to be disappointed!

Off we go...

Check-in

There was a shuttle bus in operation between my airport hotel and the terminals, which was very convenient. As breakfast was not included in my rate I left the hotel quite early to have late breakfast in the lounge instead, I arrived at the international terminal just after 10 am with well over two and a half hours before departure.

There was no line for the two first class check-in desks, so they were checking in Raffles class passengers instead, but once the couple at the desk were checked in it was my turn.
There was a very pleasant young woman at the counter who confirmed my seat assignment and that my luggage would only be tagged to Singapore.
She also asked me the standard security questions, to which I just replied “Yes, No, No, Yes”, I had heard those so many times by now. After the last question she said “excellent, you passed the test!” with a large smile.
I was given a red boarding pass with First class printed to the left. Yay, my first Singapore Airlines First class experience was about to begin.

Just like last time I departed from Sydney there was no line at all at passport control, but after security I was randomly selected for an explosives test. They take samples from the hand luggage and from the clothes and put all of it into a machine to see if there are any traces of explosives.

Pics
The red carpet laid out for me, Singapore Airlines First class check-in in Sydney!
The First class check-in desk

Air New Zealand lounge, Sydney

I still had well over two hours before departure, so I decided to go to the Air NZ lounge first, the lounge I had visited a week before and very much enjoyed.
I presented my boarding pass and gold card at the reception (the BP would actually have been enough) and asked nicely if I could use the lounge for a while.
No problem at all, I was most welcome to spend some time in the lounge, the only thing was that they would close the lounge in just 45 minutes.
I actually thought the lounge was open the whole day, but 45 minutes was about the amount of time I had planned to spend there anyway, so that was perfect for me.

The lounge was just as nice as last time with plenty to eat and drink.
This morning they had a very extensive breakfast buffet with toast, muffins, quiches, scones, cold cuts, and god knows what else. That could easily have been the breakfast buffet in a hotel, I really had a proper breakfast in the lounge.
The lounge was very empty, not more than five people in the lounge, so plenty of space.
I also found the business centre (didn’t notice it on my last visit) and they had free internet as well, so I took the opportunity to check my e-mails and surf the internet for a while.

After around 40 minutes when I knew they would soon close the lounge I left. I had checked my e-mails and had a proper breakfast, so I was happy with my visit anyway.
I did some shopping in the tax-free before going to the Singapore Airlines lounge, I was running out of deodorant for example. Funnily in the tax-free shops in Sydney they always ask for your nationality when you pay, and out of curiosity I asked the girl at the cashier why they were so interested in knowing where I come from.
Apparently it had something to do with statistics, they want to see what people from different countries mostly buy. However the girl managed to type my country code wrong, and my receipt ended up saying Taiwan instead, so now I guess the statistics will tell Taiwanese people buy a lot of deodorant in Sydney.

Pics
Inside the Air NZ lounge in Sydney
The very nice and extensive breakfast buffet in the lounge
Plenty to drink as well

Singapore Airlines First class lounge, Sydney

I made my way to the Singapore Airlines lounge which is right next to the Air NZ lounge.
I was warmly welcomed at the reception and directed to the right, to the First class side.
The lounge was nice, but actually not that spectacular. As it was a First class lounge it was of course small and intimate with only a few people inside, but I actually enjoyed the Air NZ lounge more (a business class lounge) which had a lot more to offer in all aspects.
Still I’m naturally not complaining about being in a proper Singapore Airlines First class lounge.
They had a self-service buffet in the lounge with plenty of sandwiches, fresh fruit and lovely pastries.
Plenty of drinks as well, but I did not see any champagne (on the other hand I didn’t ask for it either). The china in the lounge was also the proper First class one, same as they use onboard.

The lounge never had more than 15 passengers inside, so it was far from crowded.
I had something to eat (but not a lot to save room for the food onboard), a glass of red wine and another cup of coffee, and then killed some time in front of one of the internet computers (they had two with free internet).

Around 12.10 (35 mins before departure) the first boarding announcement was made in the lounge.
We were told boarding had started at the gate, but passengers who wished to stay a little longer in the lounge could wait until the final boarding announcement was made.
We were also told there was a special line at the gate for first class, business class and Star Alliance gold passengers.
Since I didn’t really have anything more to do in the lounge and was quite eager to get onboard, I left the lounge. When passing the reception desk the nice lounge attendant thanked me for my visit and wished me a nice flight.

Pics
The entrance to the Singapore Airlines lounge in Sydney
Inside the First class lounge
Another photo of the First class lounge
The self-service buffet area

Sydney-Singapore, flight SQ 232 operated by Singapore Airlines
Departure: 12:45
Arrival: 17:45
Aircraft: Boeing 747
Class: First Class
Seat: 04F

The gate area was packed with people, I think they boarded passengers by row numbers or sections.
Just as we had been told in the lounge there was a dedicated priority line, very clearly marked with a young woman waiting to assist passengers, and there was not a person in line, so I could walk straight onboard.

Only one passenger bridge was in use for door 1L, right behind the first class cabin.
A male flight attendant was greeting all passengers at the door and checked their boarding passes, in most cases he just directed them to the appropriate aisle.
However when I arrived things immediately changed, he warmly welcomed me onboard and escorted me to my seat and also opened the overhead locker before he had to go back to the door to greet the other passengers.
Another flight attendant then came and welcomed me onboard and offered to take my jacket.
A minute later she was back, and from that point I was addressed by name (and pretty much throughout the entire flight). She asked me if I wanted anything to drink, and after saying “champagne would be nice” I got the question I had been waiting for, if I wanted Krug or Dom Perignon.
I finally decided to go for Dom , but after having had quite a few glasses of both now I think Krug is actually my favourite, although they are of course both very good.
Top-ups were also offered as well as newspapers and magazines.

While I was sipping Dom in my lovely first class suite people were still boarding, and I could see many passengers looking into the first class cabin with envy and looking at me sitting there with my glass of champagne in my huge seat (most passengers in F had still not boarded yet).
Well I would probably have done the same, but this time I didn’t have to be envious.
I have to agree the cabin gives a very good first impression when you board the aircraft and it’s really clean and completely empty. Even though I had seen so many photos of it and was well familiar with all the amenities, being there myself in one of those large leather seats was still something completely different.

Soon the remaining first class passengers came onboard, among those a whole family of four with two children, probably not more than 10 years old. Not too bad having tried SQ F already at that age, but they got the same great service as everybody else, although of course no six courses meal with alcohol.
I think 9 out of the 12 seats in First class were occupied during the flight.

We pushed back on time and as we were taking off to the south it was only a short taxi to get to the runway.
They showed the usual safety demonstration video on the monitors, which in first class meant on the personal TVs, but I have to say the video starts to feel a bit old and dated.
The weather in Sydney was nice this afternoon so nice views during the climb, but no city views like last time.
I agree with you all that the photo of Sydney is spectacular (from the CHC-SYD flight), I didn’t even realise how nice it was until I was back home, and it’s impossible to see it is taken through an airplane window (usually the windows are a bit dirty).

Anyway, after the seat belt sign was off the service in the cabin started (or continued perhaps).
More amenities were handed out like a Givenchy sleeper suit in a dark grey bag and also a Bvlgari amenity kit. The amenity kit had plenty of things inside like hand cream, lip balm and a shaving kit (in the male version). But the most remarkable thing was a bottle of Bvlgari eau de cologne, 25 ml! That’s expensive stuff! Although I haven’t really checked any prices I’m sure you have to pay 50 USD or so for that bottle in a regular shop.
Slippers were also handed out as well as blankets; there was already a pillow at the seat.
Just under the TV there was also a drawer with a writing kit and a first class pen for each passenger, the pen was in the same brown colour as the first class logo and had the first class F on it.

Pics
All passengers entered the aircraft just behind the First class cabin
A glass of Dom Perignon before departure
The First class cabin
Nice view just after take-off
Amenity kit
Contents of the amenity kit
Sleeper suit and slippers

The menu

After having received all the amenities more drinks were offered. I went for another glass of Dom and some cashew nuts. They actually had both peanuts and cashew nuts on offer, and you could choose which one you wanted or have a bit of both.

Next the menu and the drink list were handed out in a nice black leather binder.
All the food sounded delicious with as much as five main courses to choose between. The drink list was also most impressive, especially with all the cocktails they mix onboard.
But I have to say even though the menu was superb it still does not beat the menu offered onboard ANA which was really a class of its own.

Pics
The First class menu and drink list presented in a nice leather binder

Here is the First class menu for the flight between Sydney and Singapore:

Meal service

After some more drinks the flight attendant was back to take meal orders.
I thought about skipping either the salad or the soup as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to finish the entire meal (after all there were six courses!), but the flight attendant managed to convince me to have all of it anyway and said I should just eat slowly.

Next the table was prepared for the meal, the table is actually hidden under the TV-screen.
White tablecloths were laid on the tables followed by the usual cutlery, but only plastic knives on the flight and there was even a small note apologising for it and explaining that it was beyond their control.
The table setting looked very nice, they really do an excellent job in this area, and it's intersting how they carefully place all the plates and glasses so the F points at you (you can see it yourself on the photos).

After all the champagne I switched to wine for the meal and I was happy to learn that the crew had some knowledge in that area, they knew a bit about what they were serving.
The meal service then started with appetizer (I had parma ham and duckliver terrine), soup (asparagus for me), salad, main course (I had the veal which was superb) and then dessert.
The summer pudding served as dessert was wonderful and looked absolutely fantastic, they really do an excellent job on SQ to make the food look nice.
I really could not manage cheese on top of all that so I just asked for a cup of coffee, and just like on ANA you could choose coffee bean for the coffee.
They had four different coffee beans on offer, which were all very well explained in the drink list with ratings about the aroma, body and acidity.
I tried three out of the four coffee beans during the flight and the Jamaican Blue Mountain was probably my favourite, quite strong and tasty.

I actually managed to finish the whole meal with both soup and salad, and I didn’t leave much on the plates either, so the flight attendant was right when she thought I would manage. But that’s not to say I was still hungry when the meal was over, I was so full I could hardly move!
The key to first class meals is to eat slowly and also drink plenty of water, which was certainly possible on SQ.
The meal service is 100% individual, so you can choose to have the entire meal or just parts of it and all dishes are served individually based on what you have ordered and how fast you eat.
They really do a good job in coordinating the meal service and keeping track of orders and what people are eating and drinking at the moment and when they are likely to finish what they are eating and when their glasses will be empty, and so on… Very impressive!! ^
So while I had my dessert a woman got her main course and at the same time another man had already finished his meal, and we were all happy!
With a maximum of 12 passengers in F that does require a bit of work, and amazingly even later during the flight they still remembered (or at least had notes of) what wine and coffee I had been drinking.
When I asked for another cup of coffee a few hours later I was asked if I wanted the Jamaican coffee this time as well, and when I said I wanted a glass of the other French wine (they had two French reds onboard) she instantly knew which wine to serve me before I had looked up the name in the drink list. Well done!

Pics
More Dom Perignon and cashew nuts after take-off
The table setting
Appetizer
Soup
Salad
Main course
Dessert (looks very nice!)
Coffee and chocolate pralines
One of the nice flight attendants passing during the meal service

The inflight entertainment system - Krisworld

The Krisworld inflight entertainment system is really superb, there is enough there to keep you entertained for a few days, if not weeks.
I think they had around 100 movies on offer including some new ones, foreign/non-English ones, old classics (Gone with the wind for example), and movies for children.
There was just so much to choose between!
On top of that they offer many documentaries (including nice travel ones), dramas, TV-series, music (with over 100 full CDs to listen to) and then games (Nintendo and interactive games to play with other passengers onboard).
We’re talking about an impressive amount of entertainment here!

The SkySuite in F also has a full 15” TV in front of the seat which makes the experience even better. You also get noise-cancelling headphones in F.
When you recline the seat a bit to a comfortable position and then lower the window shades it almost feels like sitting at home a late evening watching TV in a nice armchair (if not better).
You certainly don’t think much about how you are actually on an airplane at 33,000 feet.
If you add (on top of all that) nice Singapore Airlines girls who are happy to serve you free drinks and cocktails during the flight, I guess it’s obvious you don’t really suffer in first class.

Pics
The Krisworld inflight entertainment system
On-demand movies
Watching Friends – The one with Chandler in a box
The video console

The seat – SkySuite

The seat is very comfortable and has plenty plenty of space and storage.
There are two “seat pockets” where you can put newspapers and reading material, and then by the window there is also plenty of space for magazines, drinks etc.
The seat can be reclined to a fully flat bed, and the crew are happy to prepare the bed with a mattress, pillow and duvet if you want to get some proper sleep.
Since this was a daytime flight I didn’t really feel like sleeping onboard, there was too much available through Krisworld to watch, but other passengers onboard wanted to sleep so I got to see what the seat looks like turned into a bed.
I changed into my Givenchy sleeper suit though which was very comfortable and fitted me perfectly, the crew was also happy to take care of my regular clothes during the flight and put them on a hanger in a closet.
I reclined my seat a bit (plenty of options to find a nice position) and then asked for a blanket (actually I was given one) so I could enjoy some movies on my personal TV and also get a bit of rest.

Pics
The First class cabin
My seat! Perfect position to watch a movie!
The seat control
This is what the seat looks like turned into a bed

More food onboard

During the flight I asked for some fresh fruit to have something to eat while watching movies, they had a whole basket with fresh fruit including bananas, strawberries, apples, grapes and probably other things. Without asking for it I was also given a napkin and proper cutlery (even though just a plate would have been enough).
I also asked for a Singapore Sling which they happily mixed for me, quite good!

Around two hours before landing they offered a second meal with a choice between Thai rice porridge with pork, or salmon with vegetables.
I was still watching a movie when they came to take the meal order but I was told I could decide myself when I wanted to eat. There were 20 minutes left of the movie, so I said in 20 minutes, and they really kept track of when 20 minutes had passed.
In the meantime I was served drinks, I tried one of the other red wines onboard this time, and after 20 minutes the flight attendant was back and asked me if I was ready to eat.
I said I was, and my table was prepared for the meal, the salmon was absolutely delicious!!
I had another cup of coffee afterwards, the Brazilian coffee bean this time.

Pics
Inflight snacks! A Singapore Sling and fresh fruit
The meal just before landing, the salmon was delicious!!
A last cup of coffee before landing

Arrival in Singapore

Soon it was time for the descent into Singapore and the flight attendant returned my clothes so I could change back in the lavatory.
One of the main differences between first class and economy class is how lenient the flight attendants are with the passengers and what they do.
For example when the seat belt sign is turned on, in economy class that means you should be seated with the seat belt fastened and sit there until the plane has parked at the gate, and certainly not visit the lavatory.
In first class the seat belt sign is an indication that it’s time to slowly start collecting your belongings, get changed/dressed, visit the lavatory a last time, and then raise your seat back and eventually fasten your seat belt.
I don’t think a single person in first class was seated with the seat belt fastened five minutes after the seat belt sign had been turned on, and you can probably visit the lavatory until minutes before touchdown if you are quick.

I collected my belongings and packed my bag before landing, and both the amenity kit, slippers and menu ended up in my bag. I have actually kept almost everything I have been given during the flights, so I have something like five amenity kits at home including the black Star Alliance overnight kit I got in Rarotonga.

We landed in Singapore right on time, actually 5 mins early, and taxied to terminal 2.
After having parked at the gate the curtains between business class and first class were closed and first class passengers were allowed off the plane first through the front door.
I chatted a bit with one of the male FAs who asked me what my plans were in Singapore, he already knew I did not have a connecting flight. He guessed shopping, he might have been right…

I was among the first passengers off the plane and the very first passenger from the flight to reach immigration, which took around 2-3 minutes.
Still, when I got to the baggage reclaim the first bags were already on the belt. As my bags were tagged with the SQ first class tag they were among the first on the belt and one of them was actually already there. Amazing!
I was actually standing in the taxi queue only 15 minutes (!) after getting off the plane, and that’s with two checked suitcases and immigration in between.
Absolutely amazing!! ^ ^ I think that’s very hard to beat!! And I checked the time, 15 minutes it was...

Final comments about the flight

This was a very very nice flight with great service onboard and very delicious food.
The service was absolutely superb, the FAs are so attentive and really keep track of everything going on. On top of that they also try to think of other things that could be done and they almost try to anticipate what you may want or need.
I sometimes saw FAs standing at the back of the cabin looking for something to do, and you just had to turn your head and the flight attendant would immediately come and ask if she could get you something or do something for you. Very very attentive service!! ^
The seat was also extremely comfortable, and the large screen was a big plus.
I was also impressed by all the amenities offered. A sleeper suit on an 8-hour daytime flight is certainly not bad, and the Bvlgari amenity kit was probably the best one of all flights.

If I should give any negative comments about the flight I would perhaps echo what other people have said about the FAs being a little bit robotic.
Even though the service was absolutely fantastic onboard the FAs have been so highly trained that I missed some genuineness. They have been taught exactly what to do and how to behave in every single situation, and it just leaves very little room for own initiatives.
It’s a bit like the service was too polished, if you get what I mean.
These are just some reflections though and certainly not any complaints, we are still talking about one of the best inflight experiences you can get, and I am also being very picky.
Overall it was still an absolutely fantastic flight, and I can warmly recommend the Singapore Airlines First class product to anybody!! And with the new first class seat launched next year it will be an even nicer experience!

eternalX

I really enjoy reading your posts, but I can't help think that you're not spending much time in the actual cities. Are you getting a feel of where you are going or is this mostly about the journey itself?