Off to NZ. We took an evening flight from Phoenix to LA, and cooled our heels for 5 hours at LAX waiting for our late evening flight to New Zealand. We had a great surprise when we approached the Delta Sky Club to relax for that time, and were told that since we were flying Delta One, we should go down to the Delta One Lounge. Oh my... This was a level of luxury we had not expected. This was a very quiet and comfy lounge where we were offered free alcoholic drinks, full sit -down meals, desserts, beverages at no extra charge. The personal service was awesome.
Of course the Delta One tickets were a bit more pricey than regular. But the whole Delta One experience was fabulous.
In spite of the fact that our seats to Auckland allowed us to lie down, while WAY better than being in a too- narrow seat with no leg or shoulder room for 13-14 hours, weren't panacea. I think both Ray and I got 2-3 hours of sleep. We left LA at 10:30 pm on the 7th and arrived in Auckland on the 9th at 7:45 am local time. Customs and car pick up went fine, and then we set off for our hotel, a great place near the harbor.
After settling in to our room and watching the Super Bowl 😠(it was on TV here) , we went to check out the area of Auckland by the harbor. I was impressed by how clean and also quiet the city is. The traffic coming in from the airport wasn't bad, and it was notably quiet in the area we were in, by the harbor. The weather is delightful, with a moderate (by my standards anyway) and comfortable humidity. We're looking forward to seeing Barbara and the family tomorrow.
