Glenys Bean flies aboard NZ8268 from Auckland to Kerikeri . . . and then back to Auckland . . . and then catches a bus back to Kerikeri

The journey: There are two sides to my Flight Check tale. On one side, a scheduled Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Kerikeri and on the other, a notso-scheduled bus trip covering the same ground. A four/five hour bus trip after the long, long flight from London doesn’t make for a happy punter. I was prepared for the four-hour wait in Ma¯ ngere’s domestic terminal: what an awful space that is. But I was not prepared for, “Welcome on board this Air New Zealand flight to Kerikeri. The rain and fog might prevent us from landing, however, the pilot will do his best.” The plane: A De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300. The bus: Affectionately known as the “Kerikeri plane bus”.

The flight time: Fifty minutes. Oh, I forgot the extras. After our first attempted landing the pilot circled for 30 minutes, then had a second go before returning to Ma¯ ngere. Total flight travel time? More like two and a half hours.

The bus time: About five hours, winding through Auckland’s peak traffic, with a toilet stop in Wellsford.

The service: Kerikeri’s Air New Zealand staff told patient visitors and friends about the putative landings but made no attempt to explain how passengers would get back home. The staff knew as much as anyone else: next to nothing. Would passengers be on the next available flight or would they have to resort to the eponymous Kerikeri plane bus? People with apps passed on information about

where the aircraft was before it finally flew south. No phone, no information. Food and drink (on the plane): The hostess did her best to placate passengers with sugary drinks and sweets.

Food and drink (on the bus): If you do end up on the Kerikeri plane-bus, make sure you prepare for the assault on your senses in Wellsford. Greasy, smelly air from an established takeaway swirls and pervades the normally delightful town.

Food and drink (back at Ma¯ ngere): A $10 food voucher, which covered the price of a smoothie.

Fellow passengers: Fortunately the plane-bus passengers were decent, non-complaining New Zealanders. There wasn’t much any of us could do apart from be patient.

The entertainment: The bus driver got a round of applause when we arrived in Kerikeri.

The service: I understand why tourism in the north struggles. We have a sparkling new terminal but that’s no substitute for radar. Is it the lack of radar on the ground or are the planes not equipped?

The airport experience: Kerikeri is a small town and the word is that on overcast days ground staff stand on the runway and check for breaks in the clouds. That information is communicated to the pilot who attempts to navigate through the break.

My final word: Don’t fly to or from Kerikeri without checking the forecast or you could end up in the Kerikeri plane bus.