Toni East flies Rarotonga to Auckland on Air NZ’s NZ45
The plane: Boeing 787-9
Class: Economy
Price: $432 one way
Flight time: 4 hours 7 minutes and wheels were up 15 minutes later than our scheduled departure time as there were issues closing the door. The 15 minutes were made up though and we landed on time. My seat: 39C — the fifth row back in Economy. Fellow passengers: This was the homeward leg of a family holiday — my husband, our two kids (aged 4 and 6 years), my parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew (age 2). Most other passengers appeared to be heading home too.
How full: Chock-a-block.
Entertainment: A good selection of movies and TV shows available and our kids were kept happy for the duration of the flight with a combination of the in-flight entertainment, iPads and the activity pack provided as part of a child booking. As our 4-yearold
was sitting with his grandparents on this leg, I managed to squeeze in not one, but two chick-flicks. A rare treat. The service: Can’t be faulted. Food and drink: Unfortunately the chicken, pasta and cheese dish was rather dry and tasteless. The braised beef and vegetarian curry both looked more appealing — and apparently tasted better too. The toilets: Very small, but clean. Luggage: Thankfully all bags arrived safely and fairly quickly — just what we needed as it was almost bedtime for the kids.
The airport experience: In Rarotonga, we were very lucky. Due to transport issues, we arrived 8 minutes after check-in had supposedly closed, but the Air NZ staff didn’t bat an eyelid and we checked in with ease. Our arrival in Auckland was smooth sailing. A quick stop in duty-free for some booze and obligatory Toblerone, then we grabbed our bags and cleared customs with no issues or hold-ups.
The bottom line: Ka pai, Air NZ.