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BLOG: Alyce goes to Auckland
Alyce Simpson, from Infinity Holidays in Brisbane, (pictured on right with Jaime-lee Ryan of Student Flights) recounts the first day of her Tourism New Zealand and Emirates Mega Famil
The excitement was overwhelming as I arrived at the International Terminal at Brisbane Airport. As I lugged my massive suitcase to the check in desk, I was greeted by an extremely enthusiastic and bright-faced Emirates check in staff member.
This guy was awesome, especially for 5am in the morning! I
The flight was great, the seats were comfy, with good legroom, loads of movies and shows to keep me entertained and the staff were fabulous. I almost didn’t want the flight to end. Love, love, love Emirates.
After a quick dash through customs and immigration I was onto the coach and on my way to Sky City Hotel. This good location – it’s minutes to Queen Street and the Viaduct and the casino right at your fingertips. The rooms were modern and comfortable with lots of space and a really welcoming atmosphere.
After checking in, we had a bit of time to get dolled up, and then we were whisked off by coach to pretty little function venue, over the Auckland Bridge called the Wharf.
A stylish function room on the waterfront, with a bit of a retro feel where we were treated to a cocktail welcome reception with delicious food (oh my god the Macrons!) and glasses of NZ wine to match with the different foods.
We were introduced to the our famil hosts, Emirates and Tourism New Zealand, who advised on that very day, Emirates had been given the go-ahead to fly their A380 from Brisbane to Auckland.
A few speeches from our hosts, after which we were treated to a traditional Maori welcoming – The Haka! It was incredible to say the least, and the energy in the room was palpable.
The wine continued for a while longer, (New Zealand make amazing wine – you won’t be disappointed) and then we headed back to the hotel, where a few of us decided we wanted to see more of what the town had to offer, so we headed just across the road to a wicked Tapas eatery called Depot and chowed into some mini burgers.
After a few more vinos I curled up in my lush comfy bed, ready for a well-deserved sleep.
Ian Jarrett
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