We spent six hours really getting to know the place. I can nearly recite everything that Bellatino's has on sale, and Bay Espresso Cafe has an extensive menu that I have memorised for next time.
I'm also on a first-name basis with all the Air New Zealand staff who did so well trying to rearrange people's travel.
My sister and her family were flying from Christchurch and they had some magical aircraft that could see through fog so they had no problems.
It was very hard not to get flangry (flight delayed angry) seeing their updates and knowing we were meant to be with them.
After spending a night in Auckland, we finally got on the big plane to Nadi. Just a word of warning to those international travellers with children. It's not much fun.
There are many, many queues and many, many documents you need to have at the ready.
There were also many, many fights and many, many bribes. We lost our reduced cream, dry shampoo and sunscreen at security and a clever little beagle dog was not letting Raef's school backpack go.
In the end you'll be pleased to know there's no drug cartel at Greenmeadows School, but a half-eaten muesli bar is the same thing apparently.
My final gift to impart is this. If you have bought a ticket with the works, ie food, movies, champagne etc - do not swap seats to be closer to your family, because not everyone buys the same level of ticket.
But hey, a shout-out to my new friend Janice, who got to watch all the movies and drink all the wine while I sat in her seat watching reruns of Friends and sipping water.
Happy travels everyone!
