As tomorrow is our granddaughter's second birthday we wanted to get down to Christchurch and as we've driven the long haul more times than is fun since November we decided to fly.
Simple. Go on line and book. Turn up, check in, and go. We chose Nelson over Blenheim for our departure as that saved having to fly UP to Wellington first.
So up at 5.00am, one and half hour drive to airport which was cloaked in fog, as was Christchurch. Flight cancelled. No problem, booked on another. Cancelled. Fog lifted. Guess what? Fly to Wellington then down to Christchurch.
Off we went, back over home, to Wellington, take off again, back over home to Christchurch, arriving six and a half hours after we'd pointed the car down our drive back in the Sounds! But will say I felt more relaxed than if we'd gone by car as the current road is a nightmare with long haul trucks too big for the road being used until we have our main one back.
And at Wellington Airport I got to see this magnificent and massive creature hanging from the roof. Created by the workshop who did work for the Lord of the Rings movie and others, plus many displays in our museums, this one is absolutely wonderful. Made the round about trip worthwhile.
And now we have a birthday to look forward to tomorrow. Lots of prep going on.
How do you cope with changes to plans like this? We were lucky we had choices, the car was in the airport car park if necessary, and it wasn't as though we had a specific time we had to be in Christchurch but there were plenty of unhappy people pacing the terminal.
Oh, the perils of winter travel! Your post -- and the social media from the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Brisbane this weekend -- reminds me of my worst fogged-in episode. I was on my way to an RWA conference in Brisbane and had booked a morning flight from my local airport, anticipating a leisurely travel day, arriving in plenty of time to check-in, relax, and get prettied up for the Harlequin Dinner that night. Alas...
ReplyDeleteI waited and waited for the fog to lift so the backed-up flights could start. And waited. And waited. I did eventually get to that dinner, very very late, and not at all prettied up. I'm now more inclined to book afternoon flights in winter, and hope that any fog-delayed flights have caught up by the time I'm due to leave.
Enjoy your weekend with grand baby celebrations, Sue. It will be worth any amount of travel troubles once you're wrapped in chubby two-year-old arms.
Oh Bronwyn, you are so right about those two year old arms. Absolutely loving being with the family.
DeleteYour experience about getting caught up in foggy conditions is exactly what we dealt with yesterday, and yet I wouldn't change a thing - it is so wonderful being with the kids, mum and dad and the grandies. It is really what life is all about.
Definitely sounds like a recipe for frustration whether driving or flying Sue. There seems to be a lot of fog impacting the ability for people to fly in the last month or so.
ReplyDeleteKnowing how narrow some NZ roads are, I'm not surprised to hear you say the temporary SH 1 replacement is too narrow for the long haul trucks
Lyn, the roads have been diabolical, with most people being ultra careful, but there are those few who think they're inviolate and causing all sorts of problems. However, the rail line is opening so less trucks on the road soon, and hopefully the highway will be open by Christmas, or I'm going to fly again. The main road has become known as white knuckle road as it is so dangerous for the truckies.
DeleteHi Sue
ReplyDeleteI have not had this happen to me before as I have only flown a couple of times but there have been times where there has been flooding and our road trip has had to have a bit of a detour but then the sights are a bit different so I sit back and enjoy seeing as how I am usually the passenger :)
Enjoy that party
Have Fun
Helen
All the hassle was well worth it, Helen. Love those grandies.
DeleteHaven't personally been affected by bad roads other than a few hours after a storm, but plenty of my relatives have been grounded by snow. I do agree that getting a birthday hug from a Grandbaby is a highlight! It definitely made my birthday better getting a baby Spencer hug on Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteAren't they the best hugs ever, Laurie. Worth the trip for sure.
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