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We had one final relaxing morning at the farm. We packed up and once Kilian was up from his nap, we walked down to say goodbye to the cows. It was another hot day today, which was a good way to end our trip in New Zealand. We left our small cabin behind and said farewell to our amazing host. Instead of going straight to Auckland, we decided to detour around a bit, since we had plenty of time and also wanted to see a different part of the country. We took Highway 16 which had very little traffic and was quite scenic. We took our time and stopped at a viewpoint on the way. Once we got closer to Auckland we remained off the major roads and drove through the suburbs instead. We found a gas station to get some fuel and check our tire pressure. The tire was holding which was a good thing. Unfortunately due to the lockdown none of the gas stations are actually open to go into. I really had to go to the bathroom so we tried another one just to be disappointed again. The gas station attendant stated that I won’t find any gas station that is open to use their washrooms. When I then asked him where I was supposed to relieve myself, he just replied “nature, my brother” and pointed behind his gas station. At least that was still an option. The streets were surprisingly busy and people were out and about jogging, biking and walking their dogs. Even though we didn’t manage to drive around the South Island, between our initial weeklong loop and this one, we still covered nearly 2000kms, quite the road trip. Our car rental place was closed so we were instructed to just park the car and leave the keys. We took some photos to ensure we had proof of the car being in good shape and then sat at the rental place for over an hour. We ate our dinner there before finally getting an Uber. Since we had so much time there wasn’t any point in going to the airport early. Our Uber driver dropped us off at a very sad looking terminal. Just to get in, one needs to have a ticket and the crowd line ups were heavily backed up due to limited staffing once inside. Luckily we were flying business class so didn’t have to wait in line. The departures screen was equally sad with almost all flights cancelled except for four flights, one to Vancouver which we couldn’t get on, two to China and our LA flight. All of the restaurants and shops were closed so we just took two chairs out of the stack and sat by the empty McDonald’s counter. Everything was closed after security also, but instead of staying around the active gates, we wandered over to a different wing that was completely empty. We sat there for a while watching the sun set until our gate opened. There weren’t that many people at the gate so economy must have been pretty empty. The business class was fairly full as it’s a small cabin of only 18 seats. The configuration is quite different compared to other airlines with a 1-1-1 layout at a steep angle. While there isn’t as much privacy the cabin was very cozy and the staff extremely friendly. We had our champagne and then settled into our seats. Kilian fell asleep before we even got on the plane and once in the air we put him in his bassinet so he could sleep in peace. The seats do allow for two people dining since they have small ottomans, but Ashleigh and I instead ate dinner at our own seats while messaging each other through the in flight chat. After dinner service the lights were dimmed and beds were made, so we could lay down. We all got some sleep thankfully. Kilian was up early and snuggled up with Ashleigh as it was quite turbulent for most of the flight. Overall the flight was comfortable and we were thankful to have snagged two business class seats with a bassinet considering the current situation.
Once in Los Angeles, we had plenty of time to kill as there are no longer any direct flights to Calgary and the only connecting flight to Vancouver didn’t leave until late at night. We walked from the international terminal to Terminal 6 which was a far walk that woke us up a bit. Since the plane ride was a bit bumpy both Ashleigh and I felt like we were swaying, so the walk helped stabilize us a bit. There was no line up at the Air Canada check in desk and the agent told us we are probably the only passengers in the business class cabin tonight. Even economy only has 9 other passengers. She also mentioned that with such limited demand the route may likely get reduced even further or cancelled all together soon. The security agents were bored and took their time scanning our bags. I had a quick chat with one of them as I walked back out to discard some water from our bottle and repeat the scan. The agent mentioned that it has been very quiet for them and they are all bored, since there has been no cuts in staff, yet traffic is reduced. We got some food and drinks at Starbucks and then did endless laps around the small terminal. Some shops and restaurants are open, but the lounges are closed unfortunately so we had to find a different spot to hang out. Boarding was really quick as there were only eleven of us on board the A320 which normally seats 146 people. One other person in business and the rest spread out across in the back. There was no proper meal service, but we did at least get a chicken wrap. At this point it had been nearly 30 hours since we left our little farm and Ashleigh and I were pretty tired from the long journey. Kilian on the other hand had plenty of naps and was ready to play. We alternated keeping him entertained fighting the urge to just pass out. Luckily we do have a bit of a night to rest in Vancouver before our short hop to Calgary tomorrow. I must say that Kilian has been an amazing traveller at times even better than myself. He is always positive, seems to know when to sit still, have naps and when it’s time to play. He has received many compliments from airline crews and other passengers, so we are lucky parents. By the time we got to the hotel it was already midnight, so our night was going to be short. It was refreshing to get a little bit of sleep even though our alarm already went off at 530am. We initially had a later morning flight scheduled, but when we changed our flight to a day earlier, our last segment also got changed. The domestic terminal was quite busy compared to some of the other airports we had recently been to. Even the Tim Hortons was open, which was definitely our first stop. While there also wasn’t proper meal service on this flight, the crew was a lot more attentive. Breakfast was the same as dinner: chicken wrap with coleslaw plus a kitkat bar, very exciting. The flight was not nearly as empty as our previous one on this popular route. 40 hours later from the time we left our little cottage behind in New Zealand, we made it back home. Our fridge and pantry were fully stocked thanks to Ashleigh’s parents, so we don’t have to leave for a while. Typically we like to summarize stats at the end of our trips and while a summary of five months would have been a lot cooler, we still managed to cover some ground. This time around it was mostly with our own wheels rather than any public transit. In fact we took more boats than buses or trains. We had a total of 11 flights with 5 different airlines and got to test out a few business cabins as well. We visited 10 airport lounges and this time we kept track of unique beers which we only had 17 of. Once we found one that we liked, we just kept getting the same ones. We also had plenty of time to play our favourite new card game, 18 times to be exact and Ashleigh came out as the overall champion with 10 total wins. While our pace was definitely different with Kilian we still managed to stay in 21 different places. All of this in just over six weeks makes us feel grateful for the many travel opportunities we had and we are especially fortunate to have such an amazing travel baby come along for the ride. Even though our five month planned journey got cut way short, we are still happy to have seen a few Pacific Islands and go on some road trips in New Zealand. The journey to even get to the Pacific and get home was also exciting and a big part of our trip. We feel that our decision making as a travel family has been excellent and we always found a way to move around barriers, which there were many of this time around. We also want to thank everyone for following along and keeping us posted on events. Now that we are back in Calgary and are spending the next two weeks in isolation, stay tuned for the last of the pictures and if you have any good board games or puzzles, feel free to leave them at our doorstep. As always: “Be inspired. Be adventurous. Be yourself!” |
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November 2022
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