Above: Taking off from Brisbane, we fly over North Stradbroke Island which I ironically visited at the beginning of this trip.
Checking in at Cairns Airport
We both woke around 0300 after about 5h30 of sleep. We were halfway getting ready when our alarm sounded at 0320. We couldn’t get into the locked hostel kitchen to get the fruit and drinks that we wouldn’t mind taking with us.
Having booked a taxi for 0400 at a nearby, we wandered out a little before. There were happy revellers and alcoholics still on the road at that time. Our taxi showed up without any hassles and we were at the nearby Cairns Airport soon after.
The Qantas desks were still unattended for the 0600 flight. The kiosks couldn’t check us in, so I did it on their app instead. After that, the kiosk still couldn’t help us with a bagtag. Around 0430, the staff showed up. As expected, the kiosks had been programmed to withhold service to international passengers who needed documentation checks.
Checks (or lack thereof)
In our case, the staff ensured that we had our Covid-19 test reports. I’m not certain that she checked that it had been done within the 72h or that it was negative. I’m guessing that if we were non-compliant, we would be taken into quarantine by the New Zealand government at our own expense.
Currently, only people living in New Zealand who are stranded in Australia may travel to New Zealand. Citizens who live in Australia, or had departed New Zealand before April, are presumed to be living in Australia and cannot travel to New Zealand. There didn’t appear to be a check on this.
Flying home
We took off at 0600 on a Qantas flight which we had booked only about ten hours ago! I didn’t expect that our trip would have such an abrupt end after a couple of involuntary extensions.
A delicious hot frittata was served on the 2h flight. Fast wifi which supported Youtube, Netflix etc was available on the somewhat aged B737-800. I later realised that this airline offer fast internet domestically but no internet internationally. On other airlines, internet on international flights is usually low speed.
Landing it Brisbane, it was still cool when we lined up on the kerb to await the landside bus (every 10 mins) to the international terminal. We had a 1h55 connecting time which should be sufficient but there was little time to waste.
At the international terminal, there was a queue to enter into security downstairs. Kim lined up while I tried to used my bank’s loyalty card to get some meals to take with us. The participating café hadn’t used their loyalty terminal for such a long time it had ceased to work so I gave up.
The security queue snaked through the small area of the lower level. Once we got through this, it was plain sailing through Australian exit immigration and only a short walk to the gate.
We got to the gate about 15 mins before boarding commenced for the widebody A330 flight to Auckland. I used the time to ring our hostel to tell them that we had left one night early and the room was available to them to re-sell.
We boarded with no additional checks of our Covid-19 test reports or our eligibility to travel to New Zealand as someone who left since April.
Departing on time, I noticed that the Qantas cabin crew (as with the previous flight) perform the safety demonstration with oxygen masks and life jackets in parallel with the video. While I had thought it was strange on the earlier flight, I appreciate it now as it means people in the first row are not obliged to unstow their TV monitors from the armrests for the demo (as with some airlines).
Another safety detail on Qantas is that during take-off and landing, one isn’t permitted to plug earphones into the seat (socket under the screen) in front. Instead, it has to be plugged into the socket in one’s own armrest. In contrast, I had read that Air New Zealand had demonstrated to the New Zealand regulators that they can safely handle an emergency evacuation with earphone plugged into the seat in front.
The crossing to Auckland was about 30 mins shorter than expected today and super-quiet seated by the aircraft engines. I had previously liked Qantas F&B offering but it had gone downhill. A boxed hot meal or a cold salad was served today instead of their large hot meal. Their pre-buttered (often herb butter) bread roll was gone. Their usual ice-cream dessert was not replaced by a single chocolate.
I’m guessing with nearly no international flights operated by this airline, they’ve rationalised short international meal with their domestic ones.
Arriving in Auckland
Coming from Brisbane, we weren’t allowed to use the passport kiosks whereas passengers from Melbourne were. They were arriving on “quarantine-free flights” whereas we were considered “return green flights” (limited to people who had left in the last three or so months).
As the flight was early, immigration officers weren’t ready and took some time to set themselves up. Seated in the front of economy class, we were among the first to be asked whether we had been in New South Wales as well, whether we had been to “locations of interest” and also had our Covid-19 test reports checked. I wasn’t sure how thoroughly the report was reviewed on the small screen of my phone.
I’m guessing immigration would at this point also detect whether a person who has left since April, the eligibility condition for flying to New Zealand. Perhaps this isn’t strictly enforced.
After that I had my temperature taken and then it was the standard luggage claim and biosecurity/customs screening.
We walked out to a greyish Auckland day around 1530, with some sun but no wind or rain. I would consider it good “Welcome Home” weather. Despite having woken up at 0300 in Cairns, we were both feeling pretty good. Perhaps it was the relief of getting home.