Auckland International Airport

Very early start yesterday we both woke at 3am and decided we might as well adjust to the NZ time zone. Friends picked us up at 5:30 and dropped us at the airport before 6am. Check in was quite straightforward although there was a list of things to show (Covid test results, MIQ voucher, and normal passport check). I was surprised we were not asked to show our vaccination status but I think changes with this come in shortly.

We were surprised to see duty free open on the other side of departures but nothing else. I had been banking on an early morning latte before we boarded but no luck. The plane boarded early with all 34 passengers and we departed early which was a bonus. Like last time we were surprised to have three family groups with small children heading home. We had the full package so enjoyed some refreshments and movies so the 6 hours went quickly.

Arrival into NZ was quite different this time. First stop the health screening and temperature check, next was immigration where they checked our Covid test result and then two stops for Biosecurity. You don’t collect your luggage anymore and as we had declared some items including some beef jerky bites they had to find our suitcase to check the ingredients. There was no pork in them so all good.

Out to transfer where we finally found out our hotel. We are at the Sudima at Auckland airport so the drive was super quick although we had a wait on the bus for another group to check in. Pretty smooth process with reception check in and handing over of snack pack for dinner. Next was confirmation of contact details for Covid testing. Again no handling of our bags they were bought up later and we made it to the room around 9pm 2 hours after we landed.

Our room is definitely not as luxurious as last time but by moving some furniture around and sorting out the storage we think we will make it work. Thank goodness for 4 months living in the small space of a caravan as preparation. We are missing a small table which could be challenging as we need to do some job hunting which will require a large amount of computer work.

First breakfast received and enjoyed, fingers crossed this is an indication of the quality to come all week. No opportunity to choose your menu across a few days like last time but can swap out the default for a vegetarian option if we wish. We have our first Covid test this morning as we are travelling from a high risk country ( ironic as WA has only had a handful of cases over the past 18 months). We are not allowed to exercise until we return a negative result so any good YouTube workouts would be gratefully received.Read more