Its not the destination, its the journey… Well the journey started with me yesterday at 5:25 when I missed my flight to Auckland because of Aviation Security regulations, and is continuing today, as I’m sitting in the back of a shuttle making ‘journey” up to Cape Reinga.
After boxing up my bike, and getting it to the airport, the officious Air New Zealand staff member weighed it and told me because it was 24.6kgs I’d need to pay $80 excess package.
So I took out a saddle bag which put me under the baggage limit. But by the time I got airport security, my tent pegs and pedal spanner were deemed “security risks”.
Even despite my swearing on my dead parents grave that I promised not to highjack the plan, AvSec refused to let my bags through.
… Apparently everybody says that…
Its only through their constant vigilance has no one highjacked New Zealand planes with their tent pegs and pedal spanners.
So, back to AirNZ I went to check the bags in and pay $80. Only to be told that the flights had closed, and I’d need to pay for a replacement fare.
Dammit!
$100 later, 1 hour late I get into Auckland, only to spend the next 2-3 hours reassembling my bike. Thank you Judy McIlwraith and Ian Reid for putting me up 🙂
Ian and I had some problems with the chain. In its box, the chain had some how developed two twists in it. More on this later…
This morning (22 Feb), I get to the pick up point at 9:00 for a departure at 10:00. Because of complications with packing gear away, we left the departure point at 11:30…
Still on the road heading north at 6:10… Meeting lots of good people though 🙂 Tim, Peter and Kerry on the bus are guys my age, who I suspect I’ll see a lot of on this trip.
Cape Reinga here we come…!