Eight Hour Flight to Nowhere

We have been anticipating this, our first ever trip to Rarotonga, for two years now. Lance and I have had flights booked four times and three of these have been cancelled due to COVID. 

As the date for this, our fourth booking, approached we we a bit scared to get excited and left our packing until the last possible day just in case! Omicron has been biting our heels and making everyone feel a bit nervous, so when we awoke at 5am on the morning of the 22nd we were beginning to feel slightly confident that we might finally get away.

Arriving at Auckland Airport there was a somber feeling all around as the usually buzzing departure area sat empty with a small crowd queuing for the only flight that morning to Rarotonga. Our usual check in is directly through the premium lounge, but that also was shrouded in emptiness. Being an early flight we chose not to have breakfast, assuming that we could grab something hot in the Koru Lounge. Alas that was also closed and we picked at something at the only cafe open. However the coffee was good!

In the departure lounge a feeling of excitement ran through the crowd. Some were returning home to Rarotonga after an extended stay in New Zealand due to COVID restrictions. Others, like us, had booked several times and were finally getting away on holiday. I know this because Lance talks to everybody and anybody! A voice over the loud speaker asked us to pay attention to important information and I actually haven’t experienced a crowd in this environment actually shut up and listen before. I wondered if like me they were expecting a lockdown announcement and everyone was quiet and alert. But it was just boarding information and regulations and finally we were on board! Lance had an upgrade due and we paid $200 for me to join him in premium economy, which in the scheme of things was a wise move. Even if we were not sitting next to each other, Lance was sitting in front of me. The captain addressed the passengers in the normal routine but he had some extra information for us… the weather in Rarotonga was so bad that there was only a 50/50 chance that we would be able to land!

You guessed it, after 3 hours and 45 minutes and two failed landing attempts we turned back to New Zealand. The flight attendants were great and plied us all with alcohol. They did announce that they did not have enough meals on board so business and economy would choose from the lunch menu and anything left would go down the back. Those were their words! I guess another blessing was that no kids were on board as under twelves are not allowed to fly to Rarotonga yet. As the 8 hour flight to nowhere may have been a bit challenging for them. Fortunately for me my flight attendant smuggled in the Laurent Perrier champagne from business class so I didn’t have to drink the Dulcet that was being served in premium economy! 

A replacement flight was arranged for 6:45 the next morning but this change in plans held extra complications. We already had to have PCR COVID tests 48hours before leaving Auckland at a cost of $250 each. They would be out of the time threshold by the time we flew on Sunday, so new tests were arranged, and we sat in a deserted airport 12 hours since we first arrived Saturday morning waiting for the New COVID tests to be performed. 

At 7pm they announced that the weather was still going to be a problem and Sunday’s flight had been cancelled. A new flight had been scheduled for early Monday morning and we would have to somehow organise our own travel PCR COVID test before then. 

Bottom line is that we have cancelled. If we did get to Rarotonga on Monday we would be flying home on Thursday.

So… this morning we went online to book a couple of days North of Auckland in beautiful Paihia. A gorgeous apartment had been chosen in a prime location but just as Lance was hovering over the ‘book now’ button I yelled “Wait a minute!”  “When I was in the supermarket this morning I heard someone say something about a press conference at 11am.”

And so we waited… and waited … because the PM was late again. And low and behold we are back in the red light zone due to COVID! Apparently, we can still travel but Lance and I think the best thing is to stay put at home. So I have bought a pineapple and I am off now to make the most delicious pina colada I have ever had in my life. Or is that destined to fail as well!

Postscript: Thanks to our travel agent Samara Liyanage at the Flight Centre who was available out of hours to help us with flight cancellations etc.  g