I don’t know what I’m writing about, yet I’m still doing it. So don’t take this information as the Gospel. However, some facts you will read in this series of travel and pre-travel mockoposts are not to be found in The Lonely Planet and the other guides. And they are certainly not meant to be commercial; at least not until someone decides my texts deserve a sponsorship or maybe legal action.
Here we go!
New Zealand has three main international airports. Two are in the North Island (Auckland, the largest and Wellington, a funny one, which resembles a carrier and where you don’t want to land with a cross wind). I live in the South Island and the only option here is Christchurch Airport. This is the main international gate for an island of about one million, not to mention the tourists and the migrants. The picture shows Christchurch International (and Domestic) Runways and the terminals as they were before the massive renovation and extension that’s happening as we speak.
The main carriers operating ex Christchurch are the Oceania-based Air New Zealand and Qantas plus two large Asian companies: Air Singapore and Emirates. The four could be perhaps listed in this ascending order when it comes to size, level of service and popular perception of pricing. I might be very wrong, but that’s my feeling and I had traveled with three of these airliners in the past ten years or so.
When you leave Christchurch going North, as most flights do, unless you are heading to Antarctica, you see the Waimakariri River and the Canterbury Plains.
After that, then the plane is too high for you to see anything else, really, except for the air hostess.
But how do you buy your ticket? Do you go through the agents, airlines or do you give it a go online?