New Zealand: go for new sensations!
Hello. For a long time I didn’t take up the “pen”, I even got bored. I hasten to share with all of you my impressions of a trip to a distant and mysterious New Zealand.
Now it is difficult to say why the choice fell on this country. A guide to NZ has been gathering dust in my library for a couple of years, which, by the way, I managed to read several times during all this time. There were more than enough questions in the process of preparing for the trip - from how and when to fly, well, to the route, excursions and other things. A little more understanding came into my head when I read the standard tours to New Zealand on the websites of Russian tour operators. True, it is worth noting that for a rather banal tour (after the trip I can definitely call it primitive from the offer), our “gentlemen-merchants” “rip off” simply unrealistic money from the people.
Let's start in order. International flight. There are more than enough proposals in this direction. Of the main companies that offer a flight with one connection at their base airport, it is worth highlighting Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong, Korean Air, Japanese ANA and JAL. I would fly with Emirates, but, unfortunately, all their flights to New Zealand make a transit stop in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane). The choice was made in favor of Singapore - the minimum flight time is 22-23 hours, the rest have a little more, and the price is 20% lower than the others, only Emirates offered lower. All international companies, with the exception of Australian ones, land at the airport of Auckland, the largest city in the country, located on the North Island. The airport of the capital Wellington is too small for large liners, moreover, the geographical position at 40 latitude makes this area excessively windy even in sunny weather. Christchurch, the second largest city in the country, previously offered convenient flights to the South Island, but after the 2010-2011 earthquakes, when the city and airport were significantly destroyed, the region lost its tourist attraction for international companies.
Route. I will dwell on it in detail and repeatedly below. For impatient readers, I note that during the trip I saw all the main places in New Zealand with the crew, and even rested on Rarotonga - the Cook Islands. The trip from home to home took 22 days.
All major booking systems are full of offers of free places in hotels. Prices vary, I highly recommend checking them thoroughly as one site today offers a certain hotel at one price, and another “sells” it for twenty percent cheaper. For example, a hotel in Auckland or the Cook Islands was offered the cheapest by Air NZ subsidiary Air NZ Holidays, a link to which is available on the airline's website. According to Wellington, the undisputed leader is “Hotels dot com”. The rest of the hotels offer “booking dot com” and “agoda dot com” to the benefit of everyone, I use the first service, it is somehow more familiar to me.
Domestic flights. In New Zealand, the choice is not as great as, say, in the United States. Air New Zealand is the country's flag carrier and operates the majority of flights. If, when booking, you indicate the country “New Zealand” on the site, then the prices will magically drop by 20-40% (I checked it several times, the site works exactly according to this scheme). The second largest carrier is the Australian JetStar, but after the “Melbourne incident” I wrote about three years ago in my Australian adventures, it was decided not to take any more risks.
Internal transfers. To see the maximum - you need not to fly, but to drive. The railway system in the country is quite primitive and uncomfortable, so traveling by car is what you need. New Zealand has excellent roads, by the way, all are free, the almost complete absence of CCTV cameras and police "in the bushes". There are also no traffic jams, with the exception of Christchurch, where they arise due to the total blocking of the entire city center due to an earthquake.
I've been a Hertz customer for a long time now. Their car offers are good, the prices are market, in fact, they are almost the same in all companies. In New Zealand, CASCO insurance is very expensive - from 20 to 30 New Zealand dollars per day (in rubles it is 500-800). However, I strongly recommend that you still buy insurance, remembering the folk wisdom: “The miser pays twice! ".
Visa. There are many legends about obtaining a visa to NZ on the net. In fact, everything is simpler than described. The list of documents is standard for most "serious" countries. If you have US, England, Australia visas in your passport, then there will be no problems with a probability of 99.99999%. Some confusion is caused by a questionnaire on 23 pages (outdid the "Americans" ), however, upon closer examination, you understand that everything is very easy to fill out. By the way, if you are traveling with a company or family, one form is filled out for the whole company. The embassy website contains more than detailed information, the consular department conducts telephone consultations on the procedure for obtaining a visa. The entire package of documents (except for the application form, they require STRICTLY English work certificates, a bank statement, by the way, also in English, photographs, a copy of the Russian passport translated into English at the translation agency) is submitted to the visa center through the courier company TTK Servises. For my compatriots, a tourist visa is free, the collection of the courier company at the time of the trip was 954 rubles per application (if there are 6 people there, divide this amount by all). We needed a multi-visa, since we left the country on New Year's Eve and then returned from the Cook Islands, and we received it without problems, with an unlimited number of entries, for a period of six months. To do this, you need to attach a letter with the travel program to the package of documents and write for which dates you need a visa. The courier company will give you a unique electronic number by which you can track the current status of your documents. Our visa was ready in 10 days, and the courier company brings passports home or to work.
On this, dear readers, I recommend stopping those who need specifics. For this category, I note that it ends here. Next - philosophy in the genre of science fiction . Well, who cares, let's go
On the twenty-sixth of December it's "fun" to fly away. I would have flown away on the 20th, so as not to tire myself out with New Year's troubles. There are not so many people at airports yet, and flights are not overcrowded with tourists who are bored with mass destinations. This year's departure was overshadowed by only one small "but" - I got very sick two days before the flight. I couldn’t not fly - this is the law of meanness - you didn’t fly, and the next day you feel great. For five years such a cold attacked me - from the great arsenal of medicines and folk "lotions" nothing helped at all . Chills, withdrawal symptoms, fever, intoxication - these were my faithful companions at the very beginning of this trip. I remember very little how I was waiting for the Aeroexpress at the Paveletsky railway station, I don’t remember either the road or the pre-flight formalities. And the main desire was that day - to lie down, fall asleep and forget everything!
Singapore Airlines flight SQ61 was scheduled to depart at 15.20. Boeing 777-300ER is one of my favorite aircraft, very convenient and comfortable. Singaporeans use it in a 3 + 3 + 3 seat layout, which significantly adds service in flight (for example, Emirates or Air France use an ultra-dense cabin layout - 3 + 4 + 3). I booked seats in advance at the emergency exit so that nothing would interfere with comfort on the way. The troubles were not in vain - with a temperature, the ability to stretch your legs and stretch your stiff body at least in half is an amazing advantage over other passengers. In fact, we took off at 16.00, due to the queue for anti-icing treatment of the side. When Moscow disappeared in heavy cumulonimbus clouds, I mentally said goodbye to Russia until the new year 2013, and set myself up for a wonderful vacation.
In the four years that I have not flown with Singapore Airlines, not much has changed. Excellent food, a wide selection of drinks and light snacks, "feeding" three times during the flight at eleven o'clock - what could be better. Pleases, as well as four years ago, a travel set of socks and toothpaste, which is given to all passengers, developed, by the way, by Hubert Givenchy himself. On board you can find an excellent entertainment system with a rich selection of films in Russian. In the toilets - a chic assortment of personal hygiene products, you can even find women's pads. During the flight, I tried to sleep, but the cold - my uninvited passenger, was clearly against it. Four films brightened up my flight, which, by the way, passed without a single hint of turbulence.
At 5.40 am the next day, December twenty-seventh, we landed at Changi, the largest airport in Southeast Asia. Passengers immediately get from the exit via the telescopic ladder to the new Terminal 3, the opening of which I managed to visit 5 years ago. The airport just came alive. I took a shower in the toilet and felt better. It was +25 outside the window, which could not but please the cold body . The connection for the next flight SQ281 to Auckland was short - 2.5 hours with a departure at 8.50 am. During this time, we managed to have a delicious breakfast in the gallery of trees, and check emails. We didn't even have to go far - we flew to the 12th exit, and flew away - from the 9th . I was pleased with the airport's quality control system - a small monitor hangs on each corner. It has a photo of an employee who is responsible for something in this sector (for example, cleaning, comfort, etc. ) and four emoticons. Little is required of you: go to the monitor and evaluate the work of the employee by clicking on one of the emoticons (very satisfied, satisfied, so-so and not at all satisfied, one might say, furious). By the way, the system is smart. She takes pictures of you in the process and stores the photo in the database for three days so that you do not vote twice. Also, the computer excludes the voting of employees to inflate their own ratings. It was not possible to find out what will happen to the "excellent students" and how the "losers" will be punished, but I liked the principle itself.
On the flight to Auckland, the Singaporeans put an old Boeing 777-200 with heavily worn seats and a primitive entertainment system. As I later found out from the American aircraft registry, this 1995 Bobby is the oldest aircraft in the airline's fleet. We must pay tribute to the crew, the service was at the level of the first flight, the fatigue from which, combined with the cold medicine I had drunk, allowed me to sleep all the way at 10.5 hours, periodically waking up to the screams of the children sitting two rows earlier. For this segment, I was not able to get seats with legroom due to the full load on the side. At 23.45 we landed on the only runway of the largest airport in the country. In the terminal, everything is “sharpened” for hobits, who are “promoted” throughout the country. The system of long corridors allowed us to pick up speed and break through to the very beginning of the queue for migration control. I was struck by the automatic entry system for holders of New Zealand passports. Can you imagine how much our FSB border guards would save on salaries alone by introducing automatic machines similar to ATMs. In five minutes, our tiny queue turned into a crowd of tired people, many of whom had to wait 20 minutes for a noticeable “stamp” to appear in their passport. We were not asked questions, and we went for luggage, which, by the way, was also not long in coming. In the receiving area, you can exchange cash, although the exchange rate is somewhat worse than in the city. Although, when compared with those speculators who exchange currency in Domodedovo, the New Zealanders will seem like children playing in the sandbox. Before entering the free zone, you need to go through a scan of personal belongings, the New Zealanders are afraid that you will bring them a dangerous plant that will destroy all life around. Control is fictitious, it only takes time. There is a crowd of greeters in the terminal, a smile on the face of each of them immediately catches your eye. In general, the inhabitants of the "green country" often smile, are always very responsive and friendly, ready to provide assistance and assistance, even if you do not ask for it. For example, walking down the street with a camera, every third person offers to take a picture of you. At first, I thought that they wanted to steal it from me, but, fortunately, the local mentality does not provide for this.
It was warm outside. Putting the sweater in my suitcase, I went up to the first taxi driver standing next to me, and, making sure that he was free, I drove to the hotel. The road to the city center took 20 minutes, and the trip cost about 1800 rubles. In any taxi in the country, even in the deep outback, you can pay by credit card.
For my stay in Auckland, I chose the SkyCity Grand Hotel. Its ideal location in the city center near the TV tower, combined with a low price, make it the most attractive among the other fives. What's more, Air NZ Holidays is offering a third night for free, which was especially true because we flew in after 24.00, and we really didn’t want to pay for individual days . The city at night struck with its calmness - there is not a soul on the street, only rare taxis break this silence. Everything in the hotel corresponded to the street - peace and quiet. Suitcases had to be "dragged" behind them, and one sleepy employee was on duty at the "reception". I was given room 2103 on the highest, 21st floor. I note that the room has everything you need, except for slippers. In New Zealand, even in an old motel you will find a mini-kitchen, tea and coffee sets, while slippers are not brought even on call. In the hotel, WiFi is free only in the lobby, in the rooms the price is “biting” - a day costs 500 rubles.
The night city went into its hibernation, and we wanted to eat and drink after a long flight. My cold has receded, sleeping on the plane made me alert and relatively fresh . The only place that worked at 2 am in the city - SkeCity casino - the largest and most famous in the city, which is located exactly opposite our hotel, from the fifth floor of the hotel you can go over the bridge to the neighboring building. They let us in in old jeans and T-shirts, asking only for our age. Before checking documents, as in Australia, for example, it does not come. The place was crowded, and there was a persistent smell of courage and easy money in the air. For us experienced ones, after Vegas it was boring in this casino .
We sat down at the bar to the left of the entrance. There weren't many people. Behind the bar was a boy with a clearly "gay" inclination with an earring in his ear the size of 5 kopecks and an Asian girl. I was struck by their English - it was incomprehensible. They do not understand the word “drinks” point-blank, they stand and shrug their shoulders like two donkeys until you say the cherished “beaverage”. In New Zealand, English is distinct from "English English" and "American English".
I asked for 2 "shots" with rum. The local rum turned out to be disgusting at a price of 250 rubles per 30 grams. There are no bars at the bar. They poured a maximum of 30 grams into a glass of whiskey, and they offered to dilute it with water. There is no service, you order on your own at the bar, pay immediately, then “drag” to your table, and “enjoy”. Five minutes later my glass was empty, and I came for more. The Asian woman “rubbed” something to me about the fact that I was drunk. And this is after 30 grams (! ) of disgusting swill . Then she invited me to drink some water and take a walk for about twenty minutes, while the "non-traditional" constantly sentenced her to something. Of course, I tried to explain to them that they are fools, and for many reasons: a) the client pays less for drinks; b) the client is dissatisfied and does not play in the casino; c) do not expect a tip. The girl answered me something in a mixture of Chinese and English, and finally, after listening to my story that we in Russia drink a bottle of vodka “in one” and successfully drive, she completely left. I note that nowhere else in New Zealand have I been denied a drink. What was the reason for the inadequate behavior of this staff, we did not understand.
We didn't get lost. Going deeper into the hall, I saw another bar on the right. There were also “two cripples” among the people there, who obviously lost every cent. The menu is exactly the same as in the establishment at the entrance. The bartender boy, obviously of a traditional orientation, also found small glasses - piles, and excellent alcohol. After drinking 200 grams of Jack Daniels, I calmed down and completely relaxed. There was a crazy thought to try my luck, but then I remembered one wise phrase: “money needs to be earned, not won. ” We went to the end of the hall and found a diner there. The menu is limited, but you can eat, in principle. In New Zealand, in fact, as in Australia, Fish and Chips (fish and chips) are very popular. With full stomachs and a slight degree at the beginning of the fourth morning, we went to bed.
I woke up early, at midnight Moscow or 9 am Auckland time. Shower, mail check, breakfast had to be checked while the rest of the crew was still asleep. For 1100 rubles the hotel is very poorly fed. Actually, it was that rare buffet breakfast, in all other cases we ate "a la carte", which in our opinion is simply "a la carte".
At eleven o'clock we went out into the city. There are not so many sights in the city, for a full day with good planning, you can safely see everything. The first place to look is right across the street from the main entrance to the hotel - the SkyTower. You enter the building where the casino is located, just do not go up, but go down the escalator. A ticket costs about 900 rubles, the queue is minimal. You can buy a ticket for 500 rubles and not go up to the top floor - there is only a restaurant, where you can enter for free if you book in advance, plus, it is here, from the metal bridge, that daredevils jump down. There are no views here, therefore, dear readers, you can definitely save money on beer . There are almost no visitors in the morning. For lovers of "extreme" there is a special offer - to walk in an open area without fences (with an instructor in orange suits), or jump down on a rope (from a height of about 400 meters in blue suits). The observation deck offers stunning views of the city. I note that a man in a blue suit suddenly appeared at the glass, hovering in front of us for 10 seconds and rapidly flying down, only adds spice to the moment. In general, New Zealanders are very fond of extreme sports, in every city you can find something to your liking (although my inner world is always against such strength tests ).
Further, all guidebooks lead to the neighboring Queen Street - a wide street with small shops. On the way, you can see two small and the only Catholic churches, which, in principle, do not represent any cultural and tourist value for city guests. The presence of Chinese souvenir shops is striking - from the "consumer goods" ripples in the eyes. The saddest thing is that with the number of sheep 10 to 1 to the inhabitants of the country (approximately 50 million heads), there are no products from this animal in the country. In souvenir shops, Chinese fakes, the skin, which in Ikea is called "lude" and costs 990 rubles there, is sold in New Zealand for some reason for one hundred US dollars. An inconspicuous sweater with an even more inconspicuous inscription “Made in NZ” behind the collar costs from 400 to 600 all the same American money, and a women's sheepskin leather vest with a wool lining costs 1000 green rubles. The question is why?!! ! We bought a plate and magnets, on this the purchase of souvenirs was completed until the end of the trip.
Ten minutes at a slow pace - and you are on the waterfront, where the main attractions of Auckland are concentrated. At the intersection of the embankment and Queen Street, there is a good Thai restaurant Chili Tai, where you can eat for almost a penny. We got there for lunch on the first day, on all subsequent days it was closed during the day, and opened only after 18.00.
From the Ferry Building, built in the early 20th century, you can take a cruise on the ships of the Fullerton company. We bought a ticket for a sightseeing tour of Auckland Bay for 1000 rubles per person. The price includes the excursion itself, tea and cake during the trip, as well as a round-trip ticket to the suburb of the city - Davenport, where the hill of the same name is located - the highest place in the area. It is here that the widest panorama of the largest city in New Zealand opens.
During the "review" you will look at the old lighthouse, at Davenport from the water, stop on the volcanic island for 20 minutes for photographs, return to the city, ride under the bridge over the bay and return back to the port. By the way, during our trip, a couple of young people were bungee jumping from the bridge. The joke was that they did not calculate the length of the cable, and the young man with his head in a helmet went under water, however, after a moment he flew back. To our surprised exclamations, he shouted something, and we, realizing that he was practically in good health (the exact diagnosis, I think, he was given in the hospital ), went to the port.
All the same cruise company offers a ride on the ferry around the surrounding islands. Of interest are excursions to wineries, as a rule, they are booked in advance. Otherwise, the islands are boring and the landscapes are banal. However, this question is clearly an amateur.
After the walk, we walked along the embankment towards the Maritime Museum. You won't miss it, because. in the old buildings of the pier, the Hilton hotel is located nearby. Of course, he is handsome and magnificent, but the fuss that is happening around him, many, like me, simply repels. In the museum for 400 rubles - the price of an entrance ticket - you can study the entire history of the development of shipping in the region. The exposition of New Zealand's most famous yachtsman, Peter Blake, who tragically died at the hands of bandits on the Amazon in Brazil in December 2001, deserves special attention. By the way, his first yacht stands on a pedestal directly opposite the entrance to the museum. And the second one is in the bay next to the museum (it was bought by a wealthy New Zealander and periodically goes to sea on it). But the cafe, located at the entrance to the museum, and so “promoted” in all guidebooks, to be honest, is not very good: the food is not tasty, the choice of drinks is primitive. There is a small lane between the museum and the Hilton. Of course, it would be of no interest to ordinary tourists, if not for one institution - the Lenin bar (the inscription is in Russian). Our compatriots in the bar are in a special honor and receive a compliment from the establishment (you only need to show your Russian passport). In general, the institution is cheerful and attracts not only avant-garde youth, but also quite wealthy residents of Auckland.
If you walk further along the embankment, you will find yourself in the old port area, rebuilt as an entertainment system. The number of cafes and restaurants is frankly impressive. Separately, it is worth visiting the fish market, where all the selected inhabitants will be immediately fried, boiled, baked, stewed, or at least cut raw . Previously, an old tram ran here, however, two years ago it was closed for reconstruction and still will not be opened. The tram is my favorite type of public transport, hence the tradition of riding it in all corners of our planet was born.
The most favorite resting place of the townspeople is large wooden deck chairs, 10x5 meters in size. You can safely wallow on it, drink beer (albeit in a bag) and enjoy life. A little further there is an old oil storage, painted "like angels". First of all, it's insanely beautiful. Secondly, in the center of the old oil derrick stands... a piano. Yes, an old, but absolutely complete piano that anyone can play. In general, the New Zealanders are great, as my grandmother said: “They will make candy out of it! ”. It's definitely about them!
Among the many cafes, we chose Fresh Fish, where the name spoke for itself. It is kept by the Chinese, however, the menu is quite international. The only negative is the sky-high price for lobsters, about 2.000 rubles per kilogram (unrealistically expensive for an island country). And after sunset it was a "sin" not to miss a glass or two of something intoxicating. The Soul bar-cafe near the maritime museum is perfect for this. The cuisine of this institution is included in the TOP-10 best in the country. Moreover, I note that all this is true. And after dinner, you can dance in the lounge area opposite and admire Peter Blake's second yacht moored nearby. If you belong to the category of people who can not choose from a large menu written in English, let me recommend Soul ravioli, creme brulee and chocolate mousse.
In general, the first day in the country was very positive. The cold has completely left me, everything around is interesting, the food is delicious, and the drink is unlimited What else does a simple Soviet tourist need on the eve of the new year? We went to bed at about two in the morning, already on Saturday, December 29th.
In the morning, I took into account the mistakes made the day before, and had breakfast in my room with the food that I had bought the night before. I note that the same breakfast as in the hotel will cost you 100 rubles in our money. The only thing that slightly rocked the mood was the weather. In general, it is the very unpredictability in New Zealand, and in all corners of the country. In a day, the sun can appear five times and disappear just as quickly. On this day it was hot, but overcast, which, in fact, did not prevent us from going further to “explore” local attractions.
There was a desire to go to Waiheke Island for a wine tasting and a walk, but we had enough tickets (I don’t know why we didn’t buy them the day before). After walking through the shops of Chinese souvenirs, we went into an antique shop, where we met a Russian woman of Armenian appearance. For a long time she “sold” us some kind of sweater for 500 US dollars, along the way criticizing the neighbors in the Chinese “souvenir”. And since we visited all the main sights in the city center the day before, it was decided to use free tickets and go to Davenport. I note that two hours is enough to climb Victoria Hill, make a great video, go shopping, drink beer and “ride” back. By the way, shopping in the country is terrible. They just don't know how to dress stylishly. There are practically no brand stores. Actually, after the United States it is difficult to “shop” somewhere to the fullest, but New Zealand surpassed many countries where I happened to visit in terms of “bad taste”.
Upon arrival in Auckland, it was decided to visit the aquarium. For some reason, it was closed at 4 pm with an inscription on the door: "We work from 9 to 18. " We were not upset, and went to see the New Market area, where the central city museum is located. Of course, we didn’t get there either, they have a day off on Saturdays! But they got to the Apple Store, where they bought an Ipad Mini 64Gb + Wifi for 20 thousand rubles (at the time of purchase, in Moscow it was sold for forty thousand wooden ones). At the airport, they sell it for 15% cheaper (without VAT), however, the goods are not always in stock.
Around the museum is a great panorama for photography. Especially on weekends - there is not a soul around you for hundreds of meters. Nearby is the Royal Park, where on Saturdays just married couples walk. At the end of the gardens is the stadium, where we caught a taxi and drove to the hotel. We were lucky again - the elderly driver turned out to be an Albanian who lived in the USSR for a long time and speaks Russian quite well. His information was very useful to us during independent driving trips around the country. But more on that below
We had a glass of whiskey at the hotel bar. Nearby, in the SkyTower building, there is bar No. 81. You will immediately see it in the crowd of people inside and outside. What is the secret of the institution, we did not understand - inside is the simplest atmosphere, the menu is standard, the music is also, at the same time, there are always a lot of visitors. Around are numerous institutions - clones, where for some reason it is empty . The hotel has two good restaurants: The grill, which serves excellent steaks, and The Dine with international cuisine. In both establishments, it is advisable to book a table in advance; both establishments are extremely popular with locals and guests of the city. This is where we ended our second evening in New Zealand. But on the twenty-ninth of December we had yet to return!
On Sunday, we were waiting for a flight to Rarotonga, however, at 17.00. We left the hotel at 10 am and decided to use the rest of the time. The first is to take the oceanarium by storm. The establishment worked, however, the queue made us wait for about 40 minutes. For advanced users, I will inform you that the ticket is easily booked via the Internet, visitors with such tickets go through a special corridor without a queue. We, like all "classics", stood in line at the cashier. But it was worth it - the aquarium is located in a mountain with direct access to the sea. Through underground tunnels, people enter the underwater world and can get to know its inhabitants very closely. I will not reveal all the details, just come and see for yourself.
On the same taxi (we gave 700 rubles there, then another 900 rubles), we went to "storm" the museum. On its three floors, the entire two-hundred-year history of the whole country is located. By visiting this museum, you will gain in two things: 1) learn the history of the country in pictures; 2) save yourself from unnecessary visits to clone museums in other cities. You can see the entire museum in two hours, the ticket is inexpensive - about 200 rubles per person.
We caught a taxi driver near the Apple store, he ate a sandwich with relish, which, according to him, his wife prepared for him. Despite the hectic process of eating food, the peasant kindly took us to Queen Street to a Thai restaurant. It was closed. On foot, we reached Lenin, and here we were again unlucky - there was a “Closed” sign on the doors. In Soul, everything is the same. Sunday is the most "dead" day in New Zealand from the point of view of a tourist. A lot of places are closed until Tuesday. Next to the Soul there is an institution The grill (not to be confused with the one in the hotel, this is a different, but no less cool institution). Meat is served here in a small assortment, but oysters are simply divine. If not for the flight to the Cook Islands, we would probably have stayed in Auckland for a gourmet seafood tour .
The road to the airport did not take us much time, about twenty minutes at most. True, I had to pay 65 New Zealand dollars or 1.500 rubles for the service, which I consider a high price. In general, New Zealand has a very expensive taxi, which, by the way, except in Auckland, we did not use. The system of city buses is very developed, a one-time trip costs from 3 to 10 dollars, depending on the city and distance. There are tickets for a day, three days, a week or more. For those who prefer to travel without too much fuss, I recommend renting a car, a taxi is more expensive anyway.
Flight NZ18 to Los Angeles with a stopover in Rarotonga (Avarua airport) was of interest to us only in the first flight segment. Air New Zealand is rightfully considered one of the safest in the world, in fact, there is no more worthy alternative in the country. At the same time, there are also disadvantages, which I can not help but talk about. The first is the extortionate price for foreigners when buying tickets through the site, which I wrote about above. Once again, I draw the attention of readers to the fact that when launching the site, you always need to indicate the country of residence "New Zealand" in order to get the lowest prices. The second inconvenience is the lack of online registration familiar to me. Why? A tricky question, given that these are real cost savings and added value for travelers. The airline has a large separate wing at the airport. Passengers of domestic flights check in on their own at the kiosks, and even glue the tags on the suitcase and put it on the tape. “Internationals” I immediately suggest standing in line and registering in the classical way. I chose the seats on the plane in advance, when booking, the service is free, so we were not in a hurry to be first in line.
We completed all pre-flight procedures, including registration, in half an hour. The airport has many comfortable places to stay, a total abundance of cafes, restaurants, duty free shops and other things. I am very pleased with the inscription "Relax" on the monitors opposite the flights, the landing of which has not yet begun. In the center of the international terminal there is an artificial tree with a round sofa around it. Soothing birdsong can be heard from the tree, there is a lot of various furniture for relaxation around, you can even lie down and stretch to your full height. The leaders of our airports should have seen this, where they specially order a number of metal seats, separated by handrails, so that people do not sleep on them. You can immediately see where people work for people, and where - for their own pocket.
The airline put an old Boeing 767-400ER on the flight. Why they need to land in Avarua, and why this flight cannot be sent directly to Los Angeles, I never found out. Apparently, the loading of the board is low, since fifty people remained in the transit zone of the airport upon arrival. We took off exactly on schedule at 17.45 on December 30.2012, the planned flight time was 4 hours and 10 minutes. During the flight, the food is quite good, absolutely all passengers are offered free alcoholic drinks. Approximately in the middle of the flight, the date on the monitor of each passenger changed to 12/29/2012. “So that's it, ” I thought, “that's how they get back into the past! ". This was my first flight to cross the date line.
Thus began my second life on 12/29/2012 . About an hour before landing, the plane flew into heavy cloud cover, we were immediately “ordered” to sit down and fasten our seat belts tightly. Something sparkled outside the window, the turbulence only increased with every minute of the flight. After twenty minutes of chatter, the commander got in touch and said that there was a storm warning on Rarotonga, strong winds and heavy rain. "We'll try to sit down, " he said evenly, and fell silent.
Through the window I could hardly see the plumage of the aircraft, from the configuration of which I gradually realized that we were descending. The altitude and speed on the monitors were constantly falling, and the plane deviated either to the left or to the right. The landscape of the porthole was by no means pleasing - except for the sparkle of lightning somewhere in the distance, the eyes peered into pitch darkness. About five minutes before landing, the chatter became unbearable for most of those sitting around, many held hands or grabbed their own chair more tightly. I was relatively calm, after flying on my Eurostar, no "chatter" is terrible. . The altitude was dropping: 1000.900, 800. Somewhere around 500 feet, the monitors went out and it became almost dark. Silence and darkness - these were the main companions of all passengers at that moment. From the configuration of the aircraft's tail and the sound of the extended landing gear, I realized that we were on the landing straight. “I hope they see everything better in the cockpit than I do from here, ” I said to myself and continued to peer into the darkness. A moment later, a white illuminated haze appeared under the wing, “piercing” it with a glance, you can see the runway. A moment later, the fog changed to heavy rain, visibility improved, lights appeared from everywhere, and the glider touched the runway very gently and braked. For a moment, everyone was quiet again, and then they broke a storm of applause at the FAC. By the way, well-deserved, the guys flew off by five points.
We got off the plane at about 23:00 and walked to the small terminal building. Many, despite the downpour, were glad +29 around them and took pictures with pleasure against the background of the sign “Welcome to Cook Islands” and our plane. In the arrival hall measuring 30x20 meters, it became crowded for 250 people, and only two girls worked at the migration control. And more will not work - there are only two counters at the airport, there is no room for more . We passed in 30 minutes, many stayed there for an hour. Interestingly, there is no toilet in this zone, so many passengers walked along the road between two stretched cables to the free zone, bypassing border guards and customs officers, and also returned back. What prevented me from crawling under the rope and going out into the street, I apparently do not know anything.
In the baggage claim area, the famous Jake Numanga, winner of the Order of Elizabeth and many other awards for his contribution to the development of tourism in the Cook Islands, plays the guitar with the welcome song "Welcome to Raratongaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. " Uncle has been meeting tourists at the airport for forty-five years and seeing them off with his songs. Youtube has a lot of videos with his "hits" .
With our suitcases behind us, we approached the customs officers. Guys in Hawaiian shirts with "Customs" written on them asked us if we were inadvertently carrying something forbidden. Having received in response a negative nod of the head with the uttered "no", they quickly fell behind us and switched to a group not