We started off what we thought would be our last day with a nice complimentary breakfast at our hotel in Auckland. After filling our stomachs and filling our bags we headed downstairs to the included shuttle service to Auckland international airport. We had no issues boarding our three and a half hour flight from Auckland to Sydney and arrived just after lunch time.
After clearing customs and immigration, we headed to the Qantas transfer lounge and entered the domestic terminal. Realising that we had an hour to spare, we took the opportunity to grab a small bite to eat.
Here on out we had nothing but issues. Once we boarded our Dash 6 aircraft it only took about 15 minutes of flying for the captain to announce we had to turn back because of a fault with one of the wing flaps. After circling for what felt like an eon, we eventually landed on the southward runway and where we were met by airport emergency services (thankfully which we’re not needed) before heading to, once again, disembark the plane.
After waiting around in the terminal, we were eventually notified that our flight had been cancelled and therefore we were being temporarily put up in the Novotel hotel nearby. This was all well as we also received a complimentary $50 voucher each which we could spend on food and beverages. However, once we graced the restaurant, we were greeted by a rather inauspicious menu: $40 each for a small fillet of fish for Peter and a modest size lamb shoulder for Keiran – it was an extra $10 – $15 on top of this price for any sides such as vegetables or salad. Such as a ball of iceberg lettuce with croutons scattered on top or a single cob of corn.
Zig-Zag New Zealand 