You Can Check IN any time you like but you can STILL NEVER leave

Again with the air travel.  This time with  Air New Zealand.

Attempted to fly from Melbourne to New Zealand on Thursday.  Arrived at the airport around 9:30am for a scheduled 11:30 flight to Auckland.  We made it through the check-in, border control, and security in time but were thinking maybe we should have gotten a little earlier start.  That feeling soon changed when it became apparent that our flight wasn't going to leave on time or maybe anytime soon.  Our plane arrived with a non-functioning air conditioner.  They attempted to repair it and then ran tests to determine the status.  The tests failed and they told us that they didn't have the components there to make the proper repairs.  Eventually they informed us that they were going to use a different airplane but that it wouldn't be available until an 8:20 pm departure.

Bad enough but here is where bad enough went to worse.  They then informed us that we would all have to leave the gate, return to baggage claim, get our bags and then restart the check-in process.  They didn't tell us why.  So we did.  Or at least we all got our bags and queued up at the check-in counter.  Then just stared at each other for over an hour while nothing happened.  At one point I took a picture just so I could compare it in another hour or so and determine if anything was changing.  Eventually, eventually, . .  the line began to move with glacial slowness.  When we had checked in again I asked the agent why we all had to do this.  Her reply -  "We don't know".  So the right hand isn't even telling the left hand.  Someone asked at security.  They didn't know either.  Eventually we made our way back to the gate area, had a sandwich and waited.  Our replacement flight was delayed by air traffic control.  When we did finally make the flight they were using an Airbus model with the entertainment system for each individual seat.  You can pick your own movie to watch and start and stop it as you want.  Then watch another one.

We made it to Auckland, caught a shuttle for our motel and with the time change, checked in at 4am.  Up at the crack of 10 am or so we were moving kinda slow.  We checked out and back to the airport then another shuttle for rental car.  In the car we started driving north towards Auckland and hopefully food.  Difficult circumstances resulted in delays during this whole process and we finally got something to eat around 2:30pm local time.

We made a noble attempt to acquire a mobile phone for local use.  Just too difficult.  Would have to purchase the phone and then calls were a little under $1 per minute.  We gave up on that approach.  We finally got under way, drove a few hours north and then stopped around  7 pm at a wide spot in the road with only one hotel.  We stayed there but should have kept going.

More stories to tell another time.  Remind me to tell you about Hotel California. . . .