canyonwalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
canyonwalker) wrote2024-04-23 02:51 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2024-04-23 02:51 pm
Souvenir Shopping & to the Airport
New Zealand Travelog #42
AKL Airport - Mon, 22 Apr 2024, 12pm
Well, we're wrapping up our two weeks in New Zealand. In another 2 hours we won't be in the country anymore. Our last day here has been a taking-it-easy day. ...And that's because it's barely even a half day. With a flight departing at 1:50pm and the time needed to pack, return the car, clear security, and all the other rigamarole for an international flight, there just wasn't time for much else.
One thing we did carve out time for today was souvenir shopping. Remember a few days ago when I had a feeling we'd rue not buying souvenirs at the many shops in touristy Rotorua? My suspicion was right. We didn't see a glut of gift shops like that again this trip. ...Not that we're really the kind to go looking normally. So today we had to go looking. We found a nice little family-run store about 20 minutes away. It was a perfectly sized side trip this morning to fit between packing up and doing the airport shuffle.
Speaking of airport shuffle, we're mostly done with the shuffling. At least on this end of the flight. We're relaxing in the Air New Zealand club lounge. Yay, gold elite status on United Airlines. ...Not that it's a particularly charmed life here. This is frankly the second least impressive airline lounge I've visited, in terms of its offering of food and drink. (The least impressive was Air New Zealand's lounge at Queenstown airport a week ago.) But the chicken stir-fry with broccoli and noodles and couple of beers I've had here are way better than airplane food and preferable to paying $35+ for at best similar stuff in the airport food court.
I'm not looking forward to this flight home. I mean, aside from the obvious reasons of a) our vacation is ending and b) it's a 12 hour flight in economy class (even if it is United's economy plus). I awoke today with an awful ache in my back. I gobbled a bunch of ibuprofen with breakfast, but that didn't help the pain. Now I've gobbled some paracetamol, too, and that seems to be softening the pain. I'm worried what this will be like as I sit in that economy class seat for 12 hours....
AKL Airport - Mon, 22 Apr 2024, 12pm
Well, we're wrapping up our two weeks in New Zealand. In another 2 hours we won't be in the country anymore. Our last day here has been a taking-it-easy day. ...And that's because it's barely even a half day. With a flight departing at 1:50pm and the time needed to pack, return the car, clear security, and all the other rigamarole for an international flight, there just wasn't time for much else.
One thing we did carve out time for today was souvenir shopping. Remember a few days ago when I had a feeling we'd rue not buying souvenirs at the many shops in touristy Rotorua? My suspicion was right. We didn't see a glut of gift shops like that again this trip. ...Not that we're really the kind to go looking normally. So today we had to go looking. We found a nice little family-run store about 20 minutes away. It was a perfectly sized side trip this morning to fit between packing up and doing the airport shuffle.
Speaking of airport shuffle, we're mostly done with the shuffling. At least on this end of the flight. We're relaxing in the Air New Zealand club lounge. Yay, gold elite status on United Airlines. ...Not that it's a particularly charmed life here. This is frankly the second least impressive airline lounge I've visited, in terms of its offering of food and drink. (The least impressive was Air New Zealand's lounge at Queenstown airport a week ago.) But the chicken stir-fry with broccoli and noodles and couple of beers I've had here are way better than airplane food and preferable to paying $35+ for at best similar stuff in the airport food court.
I'm not looking forward to this flight home. I mean, aside from the obvious reasons of a) our vacation is ending and b) it's a 12 hour flight in economy class (even if it is United's economy plus). I awoke today with an awful ache in my back. I gobbled a bunch of ibuprofen with breakfast, but that didn't help the pain. Now I've gobbled some paracetamol, too, and that seems to be softening the pain. I'm worried what this will be like as I sit in that economy class seat for 12 hours....
no subject
~Sor