2022 - Sunday June 3/4/5 – Auckland – Adelaide – Doha – Heathrow, London

 

Finally after almost 3 years, the world has opened up again and we are off!

It was a huge 48 hours but we have arrived safely in London. Friday morning in NZ was time to say our goodbyes to family before Nene dropped us off at the Airport at 2.30. Auckland Airport is still really quiet, feels so strange, but hopefully as restrictions are ended and the rest of the world comes visiting, normality will start to return. At the moment so many shops are shut and eating places are very limited.

This trip we have flown with Qatar Airways for the first time, having previously flown with Singapore Airlines. After a 6.00pm departure our first stop after 4 ½ hours was at Adelaide. All passengers had to go through security again, and as it is a very small International Airport they only had limited facilities open. It took ages although Ian was rather impressed to set the alarms off with all the metal work in his back!!

The next 13 hour leg to Doha went well and after a meal and a wee sleeping pill managed almost 6 hours sleep. Very impressed with Doha Airport, we were through security so quickly and Ian set the alarm off again and needed to be frisked! What an amazing terminal, with high end glitzy shops and everything so spotlessly clean. It was just so busy in the terminal when we arrived, people were hurrying for flights but by 8 am it quietened down. Evidently, they have the morning and evening rush and in between everything is much slower.  With a 6 hour stopover we had time to have a long refreshing shower followed by a fresh fruit breakfast, and plenty of exercise wandering around. The Football World Cup is in Qatar starting in mid-November this year and everywhere through the airport they are showcasing this big event. In the centre of the foyer is a huge yellow teddy bear, which I initially thought was to do with the world cup, but Mr Google put me right…
it is 23 feet high and is made out of cast bronze and created by Swiss artist Urs Fischer. It was displayed in front of the Seagram Building in New York but was bought by a member of the Qatari royal family for $7 million. Have to say it didn’t do much for me though!

By 12.30 we were back on board for the final seven hour flight to London, where it was another very quick arrival procedure, collected our luggage and then a taxi to the Renaissance Airport Hotel. It was 7.30 and we were both feeling very weary, and after a quick pizza and a cold beer we were in the shower and the bed was just soooo blissful. It had been 48 hours since we got up in Waiuku!

Woke this morning to a very grey dismal day, a perfect day for us to relax here at the hotel and recharge the batteries. It will all start tomorrow when we travel up to Kathy and Steve’s in Boston and pick up Ruakiwi from the storage yard in the afternoon, get her all shipshape and ready to head off on Thursday….and then Holland on Friday. Finally we will be back on the road again!!!

Farewell NZ

Doah Airports Famous Yellow Bear

A rather impressive McLaren on display.

Hotel Room with a view!

Its the Queens Platinum Celebrations this
weekend and flags are decorating everything
including the hotel bar!