#9 Experiences of travel; from South Island back to the North - a day of about 1000 miles

Over Christmas time in Kaikoura I had over heard a conversation between a local and a tourist - who had asked if the local wanted to travel to the places the visitors came from. "here I can go into the mountains and catch a pig to eat, I can go to the sea and catch food, all close to home in beautiful surroundings with people I love. Why would I want to go anywhere else?"

Leaving Kaikoura I took the bus south to Christchurch, and then another bus to the airport. I chatted with a visibly nervous young woman on the bus to the airport. The same age as my daughter Anna (24) she was on her own heading to the airport, the first time she'd ever flown, having left her 4 year old with his father. We were both heading to flights to Auckland. Her view and anticipated experience of the airport and mine were completely opposite; complicated and intimidating vs small, straightforward and friendly. Her life and Anna's so very different, but |I glimpsed a similar attitude; despite clearly feeling intimidated and nervous about the airport and getting on a plane she was open, ready to talk to people and ask for help if needed.

After checking in and a very passable lunch at the airport I headed for the usual security checks. It turns out the cutlery I had carried with me from my international flight had triggered the X-Ray machine. The knife was measured, and found to be just short enough for me to keep (below 6cms). Phew.

This leg of my trip included domestic flights from Christchurch to Kerikeri via Auckland. I watched the boards as my flight to Auckland became more and more delayed; squashing the transfer down by increments. After my delay at security I simultaneously saw my flight had been cancelled, and heard my name called over the speakers. The Air New Zealand staff informed me I had been transferred onto the earlier flight, which had been delayed and was due to land just in time to make the transfer.

The plane was pretty small (6 seats wide), and I ended up sitting next to a local, who was travelling home after a Christmas break. He'd been transferred from a flight the previous day, and was also heading to Kerikeri after Auckland. We chatted about many things, discovering many differences, but much in common, and topics ranged from school and the education systems, to weaving (flax and loom), to Maori and Welsh heritage and language (they have all the vowels!). As the plane prepared to land we thought to check our seats on the next flight and found we were again sat next to each other. Pretty amazing coincidence as I'd chosen my seat - to be by the window a week ago. The next plane (delayed, but not cancelled) was smaller (4 seats across), and I was delighted to be able to see the wheels retracting as we climbed to just 15000 feet (sky-diving altitude, but I was restrained). Our conversation continued onto roller coasters and their development which includes aeroplane wheel technology, onto long flights (he wouldn't even consider one more than four hours), and onto indoor climbing and wing walking! New Zealand has one theme park with a roller coaster, and only a couple of climbing gyms, so he'd never experienced either, but he was very used to tiny planes.

Landing in Kerikeri it was getting dark and we were the last flight of the day, so the tiny terminal was deserted. The flight crew and all visible staff left as we waited for the luggage trolley. I was directed to the parking lot for my hire car, but then directed back to the terminal, hindered by my suitcase having lost a wheel somewhere en-route. The woman at the car hire desk was about to give up and go home when I appeared, and by that point there were just the two of us in the terminal. I was unable to do anything about the suitcase, so I chucked it in the car and eventually arrived at my home for the next week around midnight. In time for a quick tour and bed - toying with the idea of another Parkrun, but that would mean leaving at 7am. I decided to play it by ear, and slept, wondering how I was going to tell my Mum about the case I'd borrowed from her getting broken, at least it wasn't my head this time!