NZ Day 13: Getting Home

This was not a day of interesting activities, but it’s a useful reference for the journey from NZ to TX.

For a 3:40pm international departure from Auckland, we left just after 9am. The drive was a little over 2 hours, and we had extra time to get fuel. The traffic on the other side of the road was very heavy, which could have been our side. The rental car drop off was at the domestic terminal and we had to find someone to ask about how to do it. Then it was less than a ten minute walk to the terminal. Security was straightforward.

Then the Priority Pass membership came in handy. We enjoyed a variety of breakfasts and coffees from Best Ugly Bagels, and then it also got us into the Strata Lounge which had a good selection of refreshments with comfy seating, where we sat for maybe an hour before the twenty minute walk to our terminal, where we hung around for fifteen minutes before boarding. Allowing plenty of time reduces the stress.

The first leg was a twelve-hour flight to San Francisco. The time zone change messes with your head as we left at 3:40pm and arrived at 6:40am on the same day. We all managed to sleep some and watch some LOTR movies, but our seats felt cramped (the middle four in a 787).

We had a schedule two-hour layover in San Francisco. An early arrival compensated for long lives at passport control. There were not any places that supported the Priority Pass but we each got some breakfast and killed a bit of time before boarding.

Again, we snoozed and watched movies, leaving San Fran at about 9am and arriving in Houston at 3pm, 4 hours later.

Our checked bags were among the first on the conveyor and Jett was waiting for us, so we were soon on our way home and a joyful reunion with Saydee. It took 26 hours door-to-door.

This page is part of our New Zealand trip set of posts