The Journey KUL - OOL - AKL
I remembered Friday to be really hectic with last minute packing, sending our pet cat to the pet hotel etc with the intention of leaving Saturday as free and easy as possible.
We set out for the KLIA2 on Saturday 16 Dec after Maghrib prayers, our flight scheduled at 2355. Baru sampai traffic lights S10, suddenly Daddy remembered leaving something important behind (I forgot what it was haha). Tak pernah2 balik semula. But we did. Well, better have that peace of mind rather than having something bother us for the rest of the journey, right? I remember that Kak Ngah also forgot her cap.
Speaking of which - about having something bothering us, the mommy in me feels quite apprehensive aka tak sedap hati sangat3 this time, so much so, I asked Daddy whether he was feeling okay. He said OK. Somehow that made me sedap hati sikit. Don't know why. Maybe it is because of me leaving my (18 years old) baby behind for the first time. Plus I think I did not sufficiently have a proper back-up plan for her in case anything happens to us. I kept pushing it to the back of my mind but when the time of departure drew nearer, it was as if I could not ignore it totally. So, as a matter-of-factly, I asked whether she would want me to leave the house keys to her or to any of our neighbours, but she declined. Breaks my heart that if anything happens she would have to call a locksmith to open our own home. At the very least, I made sure she chased her father to settle the latest semester university bill and transfer her monthly allowance. I also offered to deposit some cash into her account to which she confirmed she would like that (this is very unlike her). However, in the end, I was so busy that I did not have time to transfer any money to her. Instead I told her where I left my emergency cash at home, which was not much. This left me feeling much worse. Was really praying hard that nothing bad would happen but the nagging feeling remains on and off, leaving me feeling uneasy now and then. A totally different feeling from our previous vacations!
Anyway, we had our dinner at the Air Asia lounge (at additional charges, of course). When we arrived, the lounge was full, no seats left, the tables are full of cluttered dirty dishes and the food at the buffet was running (really) low. Nevertheless, we dished the lukewarm pasta and nasi goreng, and the rows of Coke in the fridge was equally inviting. Lapor... Half an hour later, the cleaners came to clear the mess, more people left and fresh food was served, thank god... so we had seconds, sabor je lah. We spent our time there, charging our devices till 2300 before making our way to the designated gate. Some walkalators were not turned on but well, I badly needed the exercise hahah. Delightfully, the flight was on schedule.
Just to note an incident at the lounge. Somehow Kak Ngah led Adik to believe that the table lamps can magically switch on and off when one clicked one's fingers. So had to layan Adik switching on and off the lights according to his clicking... Hmmmph .. But rather funny. Kids will believe anything hahaha
After take off, we were served the Nasi Lemak Pak Naser but we opted to eat the following morning before touching down in Oolangatta. Adik was much more independent and no longer breast feed upon take off and touch down, thank god. He was more concerned on "reading" and discussing with us the flight safety procedures card. Takot la jugak given the scenarios pictured. Insofff...
Upon arrival in OOL the following morning, we were made to carry all our stuff down as there would be a change in crew although physically it is the same plane. Dapat lah berpijak kat tanah Oz kampung halaman ku .. hahah. And weather was pleasant but a tad bit windy. Rajin airport crew melayan lambai2 Adik. We were then made to go through scans and same procedures on restricted items and liquid. Leceh la. Met a group of Malaysians but they will be covering North Island and flying to South Island, exploring the east coast unlike us who are gonna drive down, taking the Interislander Ferry, and covering the west coast of South Island. I suspect they are academic staff from a local IPTA covering some NZ universities along the way, in particular, those in Dunedin (thanks to some eavesdropping ability hehe).
By 12noon we were already on our way to Auckland. Jenuh gak weh. Another round of Pak Naser's Nasi Lemak helped ease the "pain" or was it some sweet sour fish dish? Could not recall. Anyway, was nowhere near the window seat so unable to view NZ from air as we approached the country. Maybe Kak Cik had some photos taken. Have to check. We reached AKL as scheduled at 6pm local time. Total time difference with Malaysia is 5 hours. NZ is 2 hours ahead of Australia. Total flight durations were 8 hours (KUL to OOL) and 5 hours (OOL to AKL) respectively. Jenuh gak. But was happy to report that there were no glitches, alhamdulillah syukur. Bags semua ada and intact. Laju je kuar at the carousel.
As with other European countries, Auckland International Airport can be considered "tiny" in comparison to our hugeee airportS, despite catering to many2 airlines to ALL continents. Customs and immigration clearance were superbly FAST although we could hear announcements that the airport was experiencing increased volume of people. BAGUS betul. A nice first impression to travellers and at the end of our trip, we did realise that in NZ, the key is to PLEASE one's stakeholders. This is evidenced by for example, feedback forms always have "Did we please you today?" WELL DONE! Certainly deserve our utmost respect.
So, as per itinerary, dinner at airport before we check in and RETIRE for the day. Fenat sehhh. With the luggage on tow, we settled at McD each having fillet-o-fish set. McD NZ does not sell drinking water so for Kak Ngah who does not take carbonated drink, had to buy that at Dunkin Donuts opposite McD. Mineral water at NZD4-5 (RM15) per 1.5 liter bottle is a norm by the way, the popular one goes by the brand PUMP, in the form of pump bottle .. heh. Another peculiarity is that NZ McD does not have packed seasoning (salt/pepper) or ketchup apatah lagi chili heheh. We noted later that sweet chili sauce is very popular in NZ but McD airport ni xdak. And throughout our 14-day vacay we have to eat at McD ONLY once. So tak tau la kesahihan observation ku. But that just speaks volumes of how unpopular fast food is in NZ kannn...
Then off we go, tolak trolley across the road, up a little slope and walked into Novotel, some 500+ metres away. We got a room facing the domestic airport and could see planes flying in and out by the bay. Given the hotel's proximity to the airports, the sound-proofing was superb, the first thing that I noticed. We did go down after taking our showers, prayers and freshening up just to check out the departure hall and buy snacks and water. Whittakers was on sale for NZD4 per bar so I fell for it and bought the Fruit & Nut. Sudah nya tak abis pun after 14 days. Since nightfall was at 8:45pm, mula tu siap ada cita2 nak masuk city centre by uber / grab for star gazing at the observatory near One Tree Hill. But we decided against it and instead called an early night as we have a really FULL itinerary ahead the next day.
Till the next post!
We set out for the KLIA2 on Saturday 16 Dec after Maghrib prayers, our flight scheduled at 2355. Baru sampai traffic lights S10, suddenly Daddy remembered leaving something important behind (I forgot what it was haha). Tak pernah2 balik semula. But we did. Well, better have that peace of mind rather than having something bother us for the rest of the journey, right? I remember that Kak Ngah also forgot her cap.
Speaking of which - about having something bothering us, the mommy in me feels quite apprehensive aka tak sedap hati sangat3 this time, so much so, I asked Daddy whether he was feeling okay. He said OK. Somehow that made me sedap hati sikit. Don't know why. Maybe it is because of me leaving my (18 years old) baby behind for the first time. Plus I think I did not sufficiently have a proper back-up plan for her in case anything happens to us. I kept pushing it to the back of my mind but when the time of departure drew nearer, it was as if I could not ignore it totally. So, as a matter-of-factly, I asked whether she would want me to leave the house keys to her or to any of our neighbours, but she declined. Breaks my heart that if anything happens she would have to call a locksmith to open our own home. At the very least, I made sure she chased her father to settle the latest semester university bill and transfer her monthly allowance. I also offered to deposit some cash into her account to which she confirmed she would like that (this is very unlike her). However, in the end, I was so busy that I did not have time to transfer any money to her. Instead I told her where I left my emergency cash at home, which was not much. This left me feeling much worse. Was really praying hard that nothing bad would happen but the nagging feeling remains on and off, leaving me feeling uneasy now and then. A totally different feeling from our previous vacations!
Anyway, we had our dinner at the Air Asia lounge (at additional charges, of course). When we arrived, the lounge was full, no seats left, the tables are full of cluttered dirty dishes and the food at the buffet was running (really) low. Nevertheless, we dished the lukewarm pasta and nasi goreng, and the rows of Coke in the fridge was equally inviting. Lapor... Half an hour later, the cleaners came to clear the mess, more people left and fresh food was served, thank god... so we had seconds, sabor je lah. We spent our time there, charging our devices till 2300 before making our way to the designated gate. Some walkalators were not turned on but well, I badly needed the exercise hahah. Delightfully, the flight was on schedule.
Just to note an incident at the lounge. Somehow Kak Ngah led Adik to believe that the table lamps can magically switch on and off when one clicked one's fingers. So had to layan Adik switching on and off the lights according to his clicking... Hmmmph .. But rather funny. Kids will believe anything hahaha
After take off, we were served the Nasi Lemak Pak Naser but we opted to eat the following morning before touching down in Oolangatta. Adik was much more independent and no longer breast feed upon take off and touch down, thank god. He was more concerned on "reading" and discussing with us the flight safety procedures card. Takot la jugak given the scenarios pictured. Insofff...
Upon arrival in OOL the following morning, we were made to carry all our stuff down as there would be a change in crew although physically it is the same plane. Dapat lah berpijak kat tanah Oz kampung halaman ku .. hahah. And weather was pleasant but a tad bit windy. Rajin airport crew melayan lambai2 Adik. We were then made to go through scans and same procedures on restricted items and liquid. Leceh la. Met a group of Malaysians but they will be covering North Island and flying to South Island, exploring the east coast unlike us who are gonna drive down, taking the Interislander Ferry, and covering the west coast of South Island. I suspect they are academic staff from a local IPTA covering some NZ universities along the way, in particular, those in Dunedin (thanks to some eavesdropping ability hehe).
By 12noon we were already on our way to Auckland. Jenuh gak weh. Another round of Pak Naser's Nasi Lemak helped ease the "pain" or was it some sweet sour fish dish? Could not recall. Anyway, was nowhere near the window seat so unable to view NZ from air as we approached the country. Maybe Kak Cik had some photos taken. Have to check. We reached AKL as scheduled at 6pm local time. Total time difference with Malaysia is 5 hours. NZ is 2 hours ahead of Australia. Total flight durations were 8 hours (KUL to OOL) and 5 hours (OOL to AKL) respectively. Jenuh gak. But was happy to report that there were no glitches, alhamdulillah syukur. Bags semua ada and intact. Laju je kuar at the carousel.
As with other European countries, Auckland International Airport can be considered "tiny" in comparison to our hugeee airportS, despite catering to many2 airlines to ALL continents. Customs and immigration clearance were superbly FAST although we could hear announcements that the airport was experiencing increased volume of people. BAGUS betul. A nice first impression to travellers and at the end of our trip, we did realise that in NZ, the key is to PLEASE one's stakeholders. This is evidenced by for example, feedback forms always have "Did we please you today?" WELL DONE! Certainly deserve our utmost respect.
So, as per itinerary, dinner at airport before we check in and RETIRE for the day. Fenat sehhh. With the luggage on tow, we settled at McD each having fillet-o-fish set. McD NZ does not sell drinking water so for Kak Ngah who does not take carbonated drink, had to buy that at Dunkin Donuts opposite McD. Mineral water at NZD4-5 (RM15) per 1.5 liter bottle is a norm by the way, the popular one goes by the brand PUMP, in the form of pump bottle .. heh. Another peculiarity is that NZ McD does not have packed seasoning (salt/pepper) or ketchup apatah lagi chili heheh. We noted later that sweet chili sauce is very popular in NZ but McD airport ni xdak. And throughout our 14-day vacay we have to eat at McD ONLY once. So tak tau la kesahihan observation ku. But that just speaks volumes of how unpopular fast food is in NZ kannn...
Then off we go, tolak trolley across the road, up a little slope and walked into Novotel, some 500+ metres away. We got a room facing the domestic airport and could see planes flying in and out by the bay. Given the hotel's proximity to the airports, the sound-proofing was superb, the first thing that I noticed. We did go down after taking our showers, prayers and freshening up just to check out the departure hall and buy snacks and water. Whittakers was on sale for NZD4 per bar so I fell for it and bought the Fruit & Nut. Sudah nya tak abis pun after 14 days. Since nightfall was at 8:45pm, mula tu siap ada cita2 nak masuk city centre by uber / grab for star gazing at the observatory near One Tree Hill. But we decided against it and instead called an early night as we have a really FULL itinerary ahead the next day.
Till the next post!
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