Flight check: Niue to Auckland with Air New Zealand

Niue Airport.

Plane: Air New Zealand A320.

Class: Economy

Price: One-way Seat fares start from $354.

Flight time: Three hours 25 minutes.

On time: We left at 2.45pm, a little late, as tourists and extended families dragged their feet across the runway. Nobody wanted to leave. Plane days are something special to see — everyone seems to have more than one job on the island. Local police become customs agents, our vanilla plantation guide also owns a rental car company. (Instructions for returning your car amused us — "just leave your car full of gas with the keys in the ignition somewhere in the carpark, they'll find it later!") and I swear one of the MCs from the Arts and Cultural Festival I'd been in Niue to attend was managing duty free.

Airport experience: On plane days the airport opens around 9.30am. Check in your bag, but keep your togs/towel in carry on so you can pop off to the beach before the incoming plane lands. Quarantine certificates for food and craft products made from natural fibres are issued at the airport. Niue honey is the only honey allowed into New Zealand due to it being disease-free and organically certified. Hand-written boarding passes were handed out and we were crossed off the passenger manifest. Just like everything else in Niue, the airport is functional for what it needs to do. There are only two flights a week, but Air New Zealand is now continuing this twice weekly service all year rather than seasonally, which is welcome news for Niueans.

Seat: 28A. Last row, window seat. And for a little while I had three seats to myself. At some point though some people from a large family came down and sat next to me. The smell of cooked fish flooded over as they pulled out fish and chips from somewhere local to Niue airport. At first I thought "grr, fish in an enclosed space, how rude". But then food envy crept in. Why didn't I think of this? Last chance to taste fresh Niue fish.

How Full: Approximately 80 to 90 per cent full. A fair number had been at the festival and were now heading back to New Zealand.

Entertainment: Individual screens in the seats, so plenty to choose from.

The service: Lovely. One flight attendant commented she had a holiday break coming up soon and was wondering where to take it. Some suggested Niue and were surprised she hadn't stayed over before.

Food and drink: I had the ham and cheese toasted sandwich from the purchase menu.Quite nice, it just wasn't fresh Niue fish and chips.

Toilets: I didn't use them.

The bottom line: A great airline and a great destination.