Suzie’s Whirlwind 75th birthday Tour. Day three. 6 January 2025.

Today this sh!t gets serious. Today we go international!!!

Emirates EK412 BUSINESS CLASS to Christchurch.

Almost asleep last night when something told me I’d set the alarm for 6:40 NOT 5:40 – I was right, and quickly corrected that.
Bronwyn had hers set for 6:30 and of course it didn’t go off.
Anyway we hit the ground running and Bron and I were determined not to be late this am.
Keith forwarded online checkout for Rydges at (3:33am) so I did that and thankfully as there was a big tour group hogging the foyer when we arrived. A card drop only checkout was useful.

A short walk to terminal and through check in etc in no time. Business class just takes the time and waiting out of the whole shebang. Sydney even has business and first class queues (almost no queue!!) thought passport check AND security check which speeds it up even more.

A quick run through Duty Free to gate 57, downstairs where luxury awaited at the Emirates Lounge!

Time for a pre breakfast breakfast and I couldn’t go past a Vueve Cliqout champagne – we really did just have a taste! And a coffee.

Lots of good mags and lovely food to choose from.
Our plane was 20 minutes delayed – but care factor is zero from the comfort of the lounge.

Boarded super easily, even had our own air bridge entry.

On board and super impressive Business Class. A lovely lady and her young daughter opposite were friendly and helpful and didn’t look down their nose at the excited newbies. (They were on their third flight and heading home to Auckland from Switzerland – where Mums family live)

An oj and another champers (Dom) prior to departure- this really is how the other half lives.

Bits and pieces stowed. Just love the leg room. The colours of the BC area are clean and light. Lovely. Suzie is very impressed.

Take off was smooth. I had the real camera out too.

So much to do and play with.

After seatbelt sign off, I jumped into the cocktail booth as per Keith’s instructions. Bron eventually arrived.

Then Suzie and Hayley were called to join us by the crew. A surprise for Suzie care of Keith. We had a whole tribe of crew tending to us with photos and cheesecake and a card. Suzie was ‘gobsmacked’ so the desired outcome was achieved fully.

The cheesecake was cut and served and it was delicious.
Lots and lotsa photos.

Then back to seats for breakfast service and my ESPRESSO MARTINI from the cocktail bar.

I think we all opted for continental breakfast. All simple but tasty.

I watched a very sad and uplifting doco ‘Cher and the Loneliest Elephant’. A sad tale of the repatriation of Kaavan an elephant who had been kept in shocking conditions in a Pakistani zoo for 35 years. Suffering loneliness after the death of female elephant from neglect, there was a worldwide campaign to free him.

After partaking of as many services and pilfering goodies galore we flew in over the coast and across the mountains of the South Island. Some snow capped peaks but mostly melted. There is nothing quite like the views out a plane window. I’m always curious and never tire of watching clouds and paddocks and countryside from above. 

Landed at 2:25NZ time. 

Cool flight. Might be an understatement but sums it up for me!!! 

An almost hassle free exit through customs but someone forgot to fill in the middle pages of the immigration so we didn’t pass go and had to make a second pass. 

Taxi through Christchurch suburbs to Sudima Hotel. 

Green leafy treed streets with some nice houses and buildings. 

Check in was easy and team on the desk were very helpful with maps and advice. 

Rooms are fresh, clean and with a few quirky nice touches – tissues in a rose shape in the box, loo paper sealed neatly, all bins are half and half recycling or waste, bathmat folded in a concertina effect. 

Rooms are self contained. 

On arrival we swapped rooms as our 406 had Happy Birthday friands for Aunty Sue. 

A cuppa next door and shared the friand and planned an attack for arvo walking around Central Christchurch City and Indian for dinner. 

We have walked around Central Christchurch this arvo. Have seen lots about the colonial history and of course the earthquake damage and recovery. The gardens and trees are all a bit different and interesting.

There was also quite a bit of street art and sculptures around. 

Our walk around is best captured in the photos. 

We stopped for a loo break and a drink…

…then continued the walk back towards hotel with Indian for dinner at Gunpowder Indian- very nice. Home about 10pm and well and truly ready for bed, given the early start and an action packed day of excitement. 

We lost a few hours with time zone changes and arrived to a fine sunny day a tad cooler than home. The others donned their puffers but I didn’t think it was cool enough until we stopped walking around.