Will my finger put it over the limit?
Saying goodbye to mum, dad, and sis
Gyrocopter taking off
Teta's turn for a goodbye hug
Cerine waving farewell...for now
Holland America's ms Amsterdam was in port today, so The Mount was hopping with tourists. We rushed home so Mark could pack, scarfed down the only food we had left in the house (bagels with cucumbers and cream cheese), and drove back to the airport. Checking in at TGA is about as easy as it gets, airport-wise. There's no, repeat, NO security, and only one gate so we had a little time to kill. Sherry wanted a trash mag for the plane, but wasn't willing to pay $5; she did, however, get a cappuccino while Mark and Ro hung out outside watching more planes. Just before we boarded, Ro lost another tooth. He proudly went around to all the other passengers, with the bloody thing in a cup, showing it off and grinning an even more snaggled smile, much to their amusement (or at least they feigned it well).
Did you see my tooth?
Hurry, daddy! You're going to miss the plane!
At Auckland airport, we let Ro ride the baggage trolley with our luggage as we pushed it between the domestic and international terminals. He kept dropping his feet to the ground despite Mark's repeated instructions not to, bringing it to a screeching halt and causing Mark to walk right into the handles. One of two things was going to happen: either Ro was going to break an ankle, or Mark was going to get a splenic laceration, so Mark stopped pushing the cart altogether, claiming Ro had lost his riding privileges. It became a bit of a standoff, so to get things moving, Sherry decided to just push it herself rather than fight with Ro about walking the rest of the way.
Normally gates are assigned 45-60 minutes ahead of the flight time, but ours was nowhere to be seen on the board. So, we did what any idle passengers would do...have a drink at the bar. While we sipped, Ro played with a cheap imitation Lego toy that came with a magazine, promptly losing some pieces down a crack in the bench we were sitting on. Dismantling the bench to retrieve the now sticky toys from some mystery slime was not fun. Finally, our gate popped up, and a mass migration from the bar ensued. We didn't realize Auckland airport had a BFE, but this was it...down 3 or 4 travelators, with no other passengers in sight.
Chillin' at the Blue Bar
Our flight had been delayed, but our trip to Melbourne was relatively uneventful. Ro was glad to have his seatback entertainment system. He watched Bolt, while Sherry saw The Time Traveler's Wife, and Mark finally caught Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Ro did well on the plane, but wasn't too pleased with the food and stuck with a peanut butter bagel Sherry had brought. Customs and biosecurity weren't nearly as strict in Oz as they are in NZ, so we breezed out of the airport and hopped in a cab.
Melbourne, here we come!
It's okay daddy, mommy's got it covered
Our taxi ride was a little harrowing, reminiscent of New York City, but we made it to the Hilton South Wharf unscathed. The land around Melbourne looks a lot like California: dry grass with lots of green shrubs and eucalyptus trees. The whole town was buzzing with Tiger Fever, as Woods was in town for the Australian Masters this weekend. Mark had booked us a twin room (as opposed to a single), thinking they meant two double beds, right? Wrong. There were two twin-size beds. We've never even seen those in a big hotel before! We were told when we checked in that there weren't any more king rooms available, but they soon called our room to upgrade us since Mark was a Diamond member. All those nights at the Hampton Inn in Asheboro paid off, eh? We felt bad that Ro had already trashed the first room with his bath, but the pangs of guilt soon eased. Not only did we get a king on a higher floor, but our view was waaayyy better.
Ro was getting antsy, and we knew we needed to feed the beast now! Fortunately, the Executive lounge had some pretty nice heavy hors d'oeuvres. Ro dug the spring rolls while we sipped free bubbly and admired the view over the Yarra River. He was getting sleepy, though, and we needed to get some real food in him before he passed out. Room service! Sherry had a Greek salad, Mark the Tom Yum Goong soup, and Ro a ham, pineapple, and cheese sandwich. The food was just so-so, but we knew Ro was too tired to make it to a restaurant.
Checking out the view from the Executive lounge
Relaxing with a cuppa
Dinner in our pajamas
We put Ro to sleep with a Bing Crosby movie, then relaxed while savoring the night skyline from our window, peripherally watching the Twenty20 cricket game between New Zealand and Pakistan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty20
View from our room
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