This past weekend we enjoyed what's sure to be one of our favorite experiences since moving to New Zealand.
It wasn't the incredible snow-capped mountain, soft-sand beach or lush public garden that made the impression (though they certainly played a role, of course). It was how we got to all of those things that really thrilled us.
Let me explain.
A few months ago, Shane scored some cheap seats ($30 return) aboard a JetStar flight heading from Auckland to New Plymouth. New Plymouth is a small city in what's known as the Taranakai Region of New Zealand. It's to the southwest of Auckland, about 5 hours by car, 40 minutes by air.
Shane booked the flight and planned the weekend getaway, snagging a great cabin in the nearby town of Oakura Beach. (And, btw, props to my wonderful husband for always planning our travel. He's responsible for figuring out the logistics anytime we go anywhere. He's great at it :)
Our plane left Saturday afternoon. We dropped our car off at the parking place, rode a little bus to the airport and then walked to the gate with our suitcases, ready to board.
Let me repeat that: We walked to our gate -- in a little building offset from the main airport -- and sat down to wait for our plane. No waiting to check in. No long security lines to amble through. We arrived at the airport, and that was that. We were ready to fly.
I'm sure some of you older readers remember the days when air travel was far simpler and less stressful than what we're used today, but this experience was a complete novelty to Shane and me and the kids. New Zealand, it turns out, still has a handful of domestic flights that don't require security clearance. Auckland to New Plymouth is one of those flights of a bygone age. And the experience was glorious.
And it got even better.
Our plane was a little "Dash 8," a twin engine, turboprop airliner with roughly 50 seats. To board, we first hopped on a bus that shuttled us out to the tarmac. We then stood on the tarmac -- propellers blowing wind through our hair -- as we waited our turn to climb up the stairs and on to the plane.
The four of us had a whole row to ourselves, 2 seats on each side of the aisle. Both kids had window seats, and there was plenty for them to check out during the short flight. We watched the clouds roll by, saw the beautiful coastline and then awed over the big beast himself, Mount Taranaki, rising high above New Plymouth.
Because it was a small plane, every bit of turbulence felt like a rollercoaster ride. The kids got a kick out of the quick dips, rocking and rolling the plane did. I covered my eyes and white-knuckled the arm rest, praying we all made it in one piece to New Plymouth.
We did, of course, and landed in a tiny, empty airport with all of two terminals.
We then spent two wonderful days exploring a little bit of everything the Taranaki region has to offer.
We went hiking on one of Mount Taranaki's many trails, this one leading to an impressive waterfall. We spent hours playing in the sand and surf of Oakura Beach, a black-sand beach with some of the softest sand I've ever sunk my feet into. We ticked off a few "tourist" attractions, including Pukekara Park, a huge public garden in the middle of Mount Plymouth, and the Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, a footbridge with architectural flair.
It was sunny and mostly warm and totally fun. And we loved it.
And then we got to fly back home in our little turboprop. :)
