I hadn’t suffered any jetlag at all despite flying Kolkata to Melbourne. I had kept local time and slept soundly! So, it wasn’t a biggie to wake up naturally before my alarm sounded at 0715. Today I fly the last leg of my trip from Melbourne to Auckland at 1210.
The Skybus 0817 connecting shuttle ran a little late in the Melbourne rush hour, picking me up from opposite my aunt’s place by the Exhibition gardens. It crawled through the traffic to get to Spencer Street station where there was a queue for the double-decker to the airport. The ride on the motorway was swift and I got to the airport around 0920.
Quite a few of the Air New Zealand check-in kiosks were showing as working but not responsive to touch. I struggled to find one that was available without queueing. Despite having done a mobile check-in, I used the kiosk so that my passport could be scanned and verified to ensure speedy boarding later.
I had been lucky enough to use a complimentary loyalty upgrade to Business Class today. Even though I could use the airline lounge, I opted to use the Plaza Premium lounge which I had access through a credit card. It was the last time I’d be able to use it as the card company was withdrawing from New Zealand. I had had about 25 years of lounge access for free whereas people often pay USD30 per entry. I’ve been too lucky for too long and the day I had dreaded had finally arrived.
I spent over an hour at the lounge before going to the gate. It was a small gate lounge for a Boeing 773. Many people waited and waited outside the actual gate area. We finally boarded and left about 20 minutes late.
It was very quiet and pleasant close to the front of the very long aircraft. Not normally, being seated in the pointy end, I’ve come to know the 773 as a rather noisy aircraft. So, the upgrade was a lovely way to finish a rough trip through Nagaland.
The business class meal was nice but at the end of the day, my taste-buds prefer hot-and-spicy that Asian airlines serve up. To round off the lunch service, I waited for a cuppa tea but no coffee/tea run was done today. After two requests, I managed to get a white tea to complete my lunch.
We landed only a few minutes late into Auckland. Despite a bus/remote gate, I was out in the public area in no time today. Looking back at the rough-and-ready accommodation and bus trips in Nagaland, I savoured the feeling of “Home Sweet Home”.