This morning, I tried to sleep late (because of my upcoming long day of travel) and managed to stay in bed until 0700. After getting ready, I called Brenna and we talked for about 45 minutes. At 0815, I left the Adina and walked west to meet Benji G at La Petite Fourchette restaurant. Benji is the son of my two oldest friends in the world but I'd never actually met him because he is always traveling! Right now, he is an exchange student in Auckland and has been having a lot of great adventures in NZ. Because Rattatouie was not available, I got the house specialty of Ouff Benedict with salmon. The meal ended up being very delicious and we visited from 0830 to 0930. After saying goodbye to Benji, I walked for another hour in the Britomart, Viaduct Harbor, Wynyard Quarter and Victoria Park. The weather this morning was the best I’ve seen this week! I’ve really enjoyed my time on the North Island - wish it didn’t have to end... Back at the Adina again, I packed my bags in the room (from 1030 to 1115). Later, as I checked out of the hotel, the desk clerk handed me a mug from the Green Dragon (from the tour the day before), saying “they just dropped it off”. I guess I got a lucky break to have received the souvenir! Next, I headed to the airport. First, I walked to the Britomart Station and managed to catch a Papakura-bound train at 1145. It took about 30 minutes to reach the Puhinui Station and I didn’t have to wait long for an Airport-bound bus to arrive. While we drove west to the International Terminal, I started getting texts and emails about how my Air New Zealand flight was delayed. I kept going, though, and reached the ANZ departures desk at around 1245. Fortunately, I was able to get my boarding pass early and check my bag for the flight to Melbourne. In addition to the check in process and some walking around, it was about 1345 before I was able to clear security. I used the Smartgates to exit NZ and then had to walk through a huge queue to get screened. Once through the process, I explored the boarding area and found a place to sit while I waited for a gate assignment. Nearby, I spotted a restaurant called “Better Burger” and decided to sample their food. The cheeseburger (along with some cookies I still had from a few days ago) made a pretty satisfying lunch. During this time, I called Erin and we talked for nearly 30 minutes about my trip and how she was watching the dogs for Nicky and Steve. After that, I went back to waiting for my flight, filling the extra time with some reading. The boarding process didn’t really begin until 1605 and then took a bit longer than I’d hoped. As a result, our Airbus 321 pushed back from the gate almost an hour late. We taxied to the runway but then delayed for a little while. The Captain made an announcement that we had “a slight medical emergency” and this required us to return to the gate. Another hour later (1730), we finally pushed back again and, this time, managed to get airborne. Air New Zealand then came through with some good benefits (free WiFi, movies, music, wine and a dinner). On the minus side, I was sitting near several people who were coughing continuously. Even worse, the screaming children I’d cringed at in that gate area were seated directly in front of me and continued causing a ruckus during the entire flight. I shouldn’t complain, though, because they were kicking other people’s seats in front of them. Before the flight was over, the flight attendants had come by multiple times to request that the parents minimize the disruptions. Overall, the flight was close to four hours long and the time passed quickly, mostly because I watched snippets of several LOTR and Hobbit movies (trying to see places I’d visited in NZ). I had two cups of Cab-Sav and a dinner of brisket with tomato sauce over penne noodles, a roll and a brownie. The other people (an older couple) in my row were from Melbourne and the lady told me about all sorts of interesting activities over at Phillips Island (they had a summer home there). During the descent, we again got the complimentary hard candies from the flight attendants. The plane landed in Melbourne at 1930 (Australia time) and we parked quite quickly. The walk to the gate wasn’t too bad and I was able to use the Smartgates easily on my way to Baggage Claim. Bonus: I found my suitcase rather quickly and headed to the Immigration area. As I had in New Zealand, I checked a box on the customs form about my hiking boots. This time, however, a lady passing by the line asked me “would you walk aground with them inside?" My answer ("yes") quickly yielded a clearance stamp that meant I could walk through the “nothing to declare” line instead. All told, I probably only spent about 30 minutes between landing and leaving the Terminal - very efficient! I located the Skybus stop and stood in line, not realizing that I needed to buy a ticket online or at a nearby machine. As a result, I missed the bus that arrived shortly after I did and had to wait an extra 10 minutes. A nice lady helped me buy a ticket (we had to use two different machines before it worked) and I was back in business. By 2015, I was on my way to the Southern Cross Station in downtown Melbourne. We arrived at around 2040 and I then ordered an Uber to take me the rest of the way to my hotel. After having some trouble finding my ride, we were soon on our way. From Kaptan, my driver, I learned a lot about the tram system and driving in Australia. We got to the Holiday Inn Express Melbourne Southbank just after 2100. I had a bit of trouble getting inside the hotel from the ground floor because it turned out that the lobby was on the Seventh Floor and you needed a key to get there. With help from another guest, I eventually found the check-in desk and got my room key. The clerk was very nice and upgraded my room (it was already a reward night) to a King Suite. Another person who worked there told me about a lot of fun things to do and gave me more information about getting around Melbourne. He suggested I take a walk down to see a light show nearby and I was planning to do that. However, I received a text from Mollie that needed attention so I called to check on her. I’d also been trying to reach a distant relative, Clive, and we finally connected via text and call. As a result, I didn’t go out and spent the rest of the evening resting in my room. I went to bed at 2245 after a long but interesting day. Australia adventure begins tomorrow!
