NZ0192; Melbourne to Christchurch; duration 4 hr; NZ$320 per pax.
By 7 am, we left Alto Hotel and dragged our baggage to Southern Cross, which is just a mere 100m from Alto. Hopping on an awaiting Skybus, again, a seamless transition from Melbourne CBD to the Airport. When can our public transportation back home achieve this efficiency standard? I shall wait. Maybe my grandchildren will be lucky.
At the airport check-in counter, both our luggage weighted a total of 39.5kg, which was just 500g less than the allowed maximum load. So, we really have to be careful if we don't want to pay the overweight charges when we return to Melbourne in 3 weeks time. With me around, Bernard knew that paying overweight charges is almost unavoidable. I will prove to him, I can make it.
Flying with Air New Zealand was a much comfortable experience than Air Asia. An interactive entertainment screen and a delicious wholesome meal were really a good bargain at NZ$32o. Also, I love their safety video, which was done in a casual, lively manner. The demonstrators were 'wearing' stewardess uniform, which were drawn on their bodies. In another word, they wear nothing in real. (Have a peek if you are interetsted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Mq9HAE62Y). This reminded me of the formal, polite and ultra-friendly safety video by M*S, which enhanced its 'stiffness by using Geoffrey Nicholson's voice. What a big contrast! Personally, no offence, Geoffrey is a very good friend, who always gave me his best voice every time I hired him for my production. Just that when you want people to pay attention to your safety video, being light and humorous will be a more effective way to convey your message.
Just before arriving Christchurch, the pilot commented on the amazingly beautiful glacier on Mount Cook. He was thoughtful enough to tilt the plane in order for the passengers to have a better view of the grand scenery. The view was absolutely stunning!
Custom and Immigration check points in Christchurch Airport was a breeze. Before long, we were already making free call from the public phone booth to acknowledge our arrival to Omega Car Rental. A white van picked us up in 10 min to transfer us to the car depot. We were relieved to see a 'brand-new' looking champagne colour Toyota Altis with a Chinese favour number plate, 381. Thank God that it was not a lousy old car as we have heard from too many reviews from the Internet. Well, this car will be our feet to explore New Zealand South Island for the next 3 weeks.
Driving to Ibis Hotel in the city was an easy attempt for Bernard. I can imagine if I were driving alone, I will still arrive at the destination, but will definitely double the duration needed. I have to admit that he has a very sensitive sense of direction. Parking in the hotel car park would cost us NZ$20 per day. Luckily, since it was a Saturday, we can park the car on the street for free until Monday morning. Well, it was just nice because we will be on our way to Lake Tekapo on Monday morning!
The hotel room was basic but sparkling clean. This was already sufficient for me.
As suggested by the hotel attendant, we walked to Winnie Bagoes' at Gloucester Street for the so called 'the best pizza in Christchurch'. We sat at the bar as there's no table available in the restaurant. Influenced by 'Sex and the City', I found it romantic to have dinner in a bar. The lights were dim, surrounded by jazzy music, while watching the bar tender mixing cocktails. However, I was poked by reality when I took the 1st bite of the pizza and pasta. They were nothing special. Seriously, I can make better than Winnie's. And it would not costs a bomb as what we have to pay that night. Well, we have to admit that there is a big difference between Asian and Caucasian taste buds . But one thing for certain, we will never listen to that hotel guy's recommendation anymore.
Christchurch was very much colder than Melbourne. The night was at 5 degree Celsius, this was already an unbearable limit for a Malaysian lady like me. It was freezing cold on the street. My ultra warm new sweater bought from Melbourne was no longer warm. I truly hope the weather would not further worsen my sinus problem. Christchurch's local time is 2 hours ahead of Melbourne's. So, we are now 4 hours ahead of KL's time. Although it was not as bad as travelling to Europe, my bio clock had obviously gone haywire. I truly need to catch some sleep now, even though it is only 4:30pm in Malaysia.
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