AT FIRST GLANCE ! -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

We disembarked from the flight and strode into the lounge. We saw a beautiful Māori carving adorning the walkway at Auckland Airport, and as we proceeded, there were sensors that, when we walked, illuminated the walls around us; with every step, they showed interesting facts and pictures about the country.
There were ominous-looking signboards asking the passengers to declare or dispose of forbidden goods or be fined 400 dollars.

We then went for immigration check with our passport and passenger arrival card, which we had completed on the plane.
A young boy in a tight-fitting suit, obviously newly stitched one, was standing ahead of us in the queue; his looks aroused all my maternal instincts, which remembered our son who had gone to the US at the tender age of 21 (tender for his mother). I asked him for his details and assured him that he would be fine; he was whisked through the passport control point quite fast and disappeared from our sight.
What is the purpose of your trip? was the question asked;,we answered to tour, and lo behold! The immigration officer stamped our passport.
We then marched ahead to the carousel, where our bags were anxiously waiting for us, and then had to wait in a long queue for immigration check, where our passenger arrival cards were checked. It went on well because of all the care we took while packing in India 
We came out of the airport, and waiting patiently for us, we found the Grand Pacific Tours representative holding the tour sign.

Though he must have picked up quite a lot of passengers from the airport that day , he greeted us cheerfully and was chatting with us. He went and got his van;,we piled up the luggage and plonked ourselves in the seats. After a drive for nearly half an hour, during which time we saw quite a lot of roads being serviced, as it was now almost 3 am.

Our driver waited patiently at all the traffic signals. I was thinking of our country and the traffic sense of some of our people and thought the less said the better; he dropped us at our hotel, the Grand Millennium ( however, we were in no state to see whether it was grand or not)

At the reception desk we were given our room key and a big bundle of the tour documents, Oh no! I thought we were trying to travel as lightly as we could, and this extra luggage now was like the final straw on the camel’s back.It contained

·        Durable travel bag

·        Toiletry wet pack

·        Personal name badge

·        Laundry bag

·        Luggage label

·        Ticket wallet

·        Personalised itinerary

·        Optional tours directory

·        General Information & FAQ booklet

·        Customs-required resealable plastic bag

·        Postcard

·        Touring map

We were given one of these each, and we had to bear them all through our journey, but they were very useful, and my husband paid no attention to my timid suggestion that we could leave the travel bags in the hotel room (I am very much used to load shedding).

As soon as we checked into the room, we looked at the next-day program; it was a wake-up call at 6 am, bags outside the room at 7 am, breakfast from 7 am, and departing hotel at 8 am. Some of our co-travellers on this tour later said that normally they get up late, and only on paid holidays like this do they get up at such unearthly hours L.O.L!
We were left with just 3 hours of sleep; my husband is indeed blessed to be able to sleep soundly as soon as he hits the bed, whereas poor me was trying in vain to sleep, which eluded me.

 

 

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