Took the Yellow Bus back to Auckland Airport domestic terminal. This sector down to Wellington was on Air NZ as well. Check-in and bag-drop was all DIY, and I was pretty impressed with self-check-in system as it was all very easy to use.
A number of eateries before domestic security.
FIDS
Security was fast and in no time, we were at the gate area. The A320 operating our flight was already at the gate preparing for the flight.
Passengers disembarking from another arrival flight. Air NZ has boarding/arrival procedures on domestic sectors where passengers seated near the rear of the aircraft may board (depending on load) or disembark from the rear aircraft doors as well even though there are aerobridges attached to the front door. This was to facilitate faster boarding and disembarkation due to the short turnaround times.
19 August 2018
Air New Zealand
NZ 425
Auckland (AKL) - Wellington (WLG)
A320
ZK-OXH
Economy Class
Flight Time: 0H52M
Departure gate was being readied.
Thee All-Blacks A320 at the gate beside.
Boarding commenced and only the front door was used due to the low load factor on this flight.
Economy seats on the domestic A320. There is no Business Class offered on domestic routes.
Boarding in progress, but was completed very quickly as the flight was less than half full. Guess not many people travels to Wellington on a Sunday.
View out the window.
Legroom is sufficient for the short flight. The seat is basic with no IFE system nor power ports. Not that these are needed as NZ's domestic fleet only operate routes with flight times of not more than 2hrs..
Inflight magazine and safety card in every seat. Aug's edition of the inflight magazine was showcasing Singapore!
Air NZ's fleet.
Crew preparing the cabin for departure.
The Antarctic-themed safety video was played and crew along the aisle pointed out the exits.
Pushed back and taxied to Rwy23L.
Holding short for a Dash 8 to land.
We were next for departure and had a powerful takeoff from Rwy23L bound for Wellington.
Above the clouds.
It was certainly a very lightly-loaded flights, judging by the number of empty seats in the cabin.
The skies cleared soon after departure.
Cabin service commenced. Even though the load was very light, all 4 cabin crew still came out with 2 carts from the front and back. Crew were all very friendly and jovial, and service was swiftly completed within minutes.
A cookie or a pack of corn chips was offered, along with water, coffee or tea. No other beverages on offer. This is the standard Air New Zealand domestic service on almost all routes I believe. I had the tasty cookie along with water and coffee.
Visit to the lav (no themed lavatories here) which was stocked with the basic amenities. Though I must say the Antipodes handwash which NZ uses smells very fragrant. Found out that it is a New Zealand branded product and a premium brand (aka not cheap).
View of the A320 cabin from the rear.
After the trash were collected, again the crew came round with a basket of lollies before descent. Simple but nice tough on NZ flights.
Short features played on the overhead screens.
Approaching and descending into Wellington.
Flew down south of WLG before making a turn northwards back towards the airport.
Landing on Wellington Rwy34 right on schedule.
Taxi to the terminal, with Fiji Airways B738 and SQ's B772 spotted at the international section of the terminal.
Welcome to the Middle of Middle Earth, as Wellington is also known other than being the capital of New Zealand.
Parked at the gate.
Disembarking. We were also allowed to disembark via the rear stairs, but with the light load, almost everyone decided to exit via the aerobridge instead.
Just a couple of passengers decided that some exercise is needed and used the stairs.
View of my A320 again.
Other aircraft at the terminal.
Wellington's airport terminal is very bright and modern, and seemed rather new as well.
Domestic baggage claim.
Hotel lobby
The room was good-sized with the extremely comfortable Rydges bed. Cooking facility was available in the room as well.
View from the room towards the government offices.
Wellington Railway station was just steps from the hotel.
With such pleasant weather, we walked to the pier.
Took the cable car up the hill to have a view of Wellington city.
View towards the bay.
Thanks to cooking facilities in the room, dinner was DIY with lamb chops and steak from the local supermarket.
Wellington city scene in the next morning.
Unlike the day before, this day was windy and wet, with strong waves at the pier.
Interesting pop-up sauna.
Visit to the most famous museum in NZ, Te Papa Museum.
The museum rooftop offers a nice view of the city.
Late lunch was had at a popular seafood place, Crab Shack. The dishes were all tasty and affordable, and for our Monday visit, it was half price off mussels!
The Beehive, which is the main government office building.
A historical building restored and used as a campus.
