On time: We boarded for an on-time departure of 9.20am only to have the Captain announce we would be delayed 15 mins as the checked-in luggage had to be manually loaded into the hold. Now, I know this is a first-world problem and I should just "chill", but seriously, Auckland airport needs to lift its game to keep up with these infrastructure needs with the constant arrival of new airlines flying into our main city.
The doors finally closed at 9.45am and we were taxiing down the runway closer to 10am.
How full: About three-quarters full.
Fellow passengers: A mix of tourists and returning residents. I counted about a dozen "fellow revellers" all going to the same birthday party. Air New Zealand used to do just one flight to Niue per week out of Auckland but the trial of a peak-season second weekly flight was so successful the airline has now made it permanent. This is great for Niue's economy, and more convenient for travellers who may not need to spend the whole week between flights on the island — allowing for a shorter three or four-day roundtrip. The return flights are on Wednesdays and Saturdays out of Auckland and take between three and a half and four hours each way.
Entertainment: Pre-flight: The great Air New Zealand safety video with Katie Holmes and Cuba Gooding Jnr.
In-flight: Full selection of movies, TV shows, recent All Blacks games and music channels. I listened to several artists' latest albums and particularly enjoyed Symphonica by the late George Michael.
Service: Very friendly and busy crew who went about their work efficiently.
Food and drink: As a "seat-only" passenger, I had two cups of black coffee over the duration of the three-hour 45-minute flight. Other passengers who purchased fares with meal options had either a hot beef casserole-type dish or a cold chicken salad — with alcoholic beverages of choice. A couple sitting across from me seemed to be enjoying more of the free alcoholic beverage refills than most.
I had a nice plate of scrambled eggs with a chicken sausage and hash browns with a flat white in the Koru Lounge before boarding — so really did not need any more sustenance during the flight.
Toilets: (Front of the plane) Clean as! I like the full-length mirror just on the left of the door as you enter. Gives one a perfect opportunity to check your side profile and whether any button/belt/shirt or trouser adjustments are required before exiting out into full view of everyone at the front of the aircraft. Okay, so it could also be just vanity on my part!
Airport experience: The Koru Lounge at Auckland airport was quite full and I was lucky that a friend (who was also travelling to Niue) had got there 30 minutes beforehand and had kindly reserved a seat for me.
Beware of the dreaded long walk to Gates 15 and 16 — especially if you're carrying lots of duty free. I guess it is good exercise for some, but a functioning travellator would have been useful.
The Niue arrivals concourse is basic and clean. Returning Niue residents have a faster-moving queue than tourists but sitting towards the front of the plane helped one get one's Immigration "Arrived in Niue" date stamp sooner. Then we had to wait at an outdoor area for the luggage to be delivered, after which we came back indoors to go through Customs baggage checks. The process, though, was surprisingly quick.
Would I fly it again? Yes. Easy trip and no time difference (except you land a day earlier, so it's actually a 24-hour time difference). A good relaxing break from the Auckland rain and cold for a few days or a week. However, next time, I would buy my tickets much earlier to get better fares.
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