Groundhog Day

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There's an expression that truth can be stranger than fiction, and you would hardly believe this story except for one thing, it happens to be true! My visit to Auckland was supposed to be an overnight stopover, before flying on to Tonga to enjoy the sites in my final South Pacific destination for this trip. I had flown from Apia in Samoa on Air New Zealand with a stopover in the largest city of NZ, and got up early for the ongoing flight next morning after spending an enjoyable night at a central Auckland hostel. Getting formalities done at check in and customs was a breeze, and before long we were up in the air watching the inflight instructions on the screens produced with a clever Middle Earth theme. Everything was fine, and the food and service onboard first class. The flight time is around three hours and just before we started our descent into Nuku'alofa the pilot came over the intercom with an announcement. There had been a volcanic eruption off the coast of Tonga and it was not safe for the aircraft to land, so we would be flying on to the closest destination to refuel, meaning Apia! I thought it was a practical joke, because 24 hours prior I had just taken off from Apia and then ended up right back where I started!

I tried not to stew, and had a laugh with my fellow passengers about flying for 24 hours to be in exactly the same place I started from. But then things got even more bizarre, as guess where the plane was heading after refuelling? Yes, that's right, we were to fly back to Auckland. Catering was organised along with refuelling by the crew, and we flew back to Auckland at the conclusion of a crazy stint of international flying. Believe it or not I had just flown Apia - Auckland - Apia - Auckland. Things were getting bizarre but Air New Zealand offered to put us up in an airport hotel for the night, with a view to flying us to Tonga early the next morning. It was starting to become quite a bonding experience for the passengers as we chatted over dinner at the hotel, however we spared a thought for the Tongan passengers on single entry visas, as they were stuck in the transit area for the night and couldn't even leave the airport. Information at the hotel was sketchy, but finally word came through from Air New Zealand that we needed to be ready at 5:00am for a bus back to the airport. We woke, packed and headed downstairs, to be told the flight was cancelled as the ash cloud from the volcano had not yet disipated. They told us to come back down at 8:00am. This time we piled on to the bus, and it was only after arriving at Auckland International we were told the flight was once again cancelled. We were taken back to the hotel, got the cheery news there would be no flights that day, and the airline would no longer cover the cost of our accommodation in Auckland.

So I checked out after being informed of a flight the next morning, and took the bus into Auckland city, again, and checked into the central hostel, again. The legendary travel blogger Jo Trouble had seen a FB post from Auckland during my first overnight stopover, and wanted to catch up next time I was in Auckland. I promised to, but didn't expect that it would be just 24 hours later! We messaged each other regarding the ongoing flight problems, and arranged to catch up in Auckland that evening. The ironic thing about this entire experience is that it's been ten years since I visited Auckland, and I regretted not having more time to explore this wonderful city again. So there I was, with a full afternoon to see the sites along the beautiful waterfront and later on catch up with Jo over dinner and a stroll. There's been stunning improvements to Auckland Harbour and the wharves that make up the waterfront since my previous visit. I spent an enjoyable afternoon strolling around and taking photos of this gorgeous city, and witnessed Americas Cup yachts being taken out on to Auckland Harbour loaded up with excited tourists.

I met up with Jo in the early evening, and she played host for the night as we got to know each other in wonderful Auckland. It's always a great thrill meeting fellow bloggers from the travel blogging community, and we bonded easily as we chatted about travel, photography, and other bloggers. We had an enjoyable evening meeting up, and this chance meeting comes just a year after I had the opportunity to meet Shane The Travel Camel in Abu Dhabi. We ended up at a food hall in the centre of Auckland for dinner, and after pondering our options decided to indulge our shared passion for Japanese food. There were beers on offer at one of the food stalls, and enjoying a Japanese beer over a delicious teriyaki chicken was the perfect end to a great evening. Thanks Jo, it was a privilege to spend an evening with one of the original travel bloggers in the TB community.

The next morning I checked out early, in order to get to the airport for my scheduled flight to Tonga for the third day running. The news was good, and we checked in and boarded our flight for an on time departure to Nuku'alofa. The staff and crew were well aware of the dramas we had faced trying to get to Tonga, and seeing my fellow passengers was like a reunion of sorts. The flight was uneventful, but as were were preparing to land the pilot came on with a familiar announcement. There had been a fresh eruption and it was not safe to land, and we were heading back to Auckland. I went through customs and immigration a third time, ordered a bus ticket in to town from the lady at the booth a third time, and checked into my hostel a third time. This saga has been one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life, and I felt absolutely drained as I was getting nowhere.

I got in touch with the staff at Air New Zealand, and arranged to swap tickets for an early return to Fiji as I couldn't face any more drama in trying to get to Tonga. I gave it a good crack over three consecutive days but mother nature had different ideas, and it was just not to be on this occasion. There are worse options than going back to Nadi for a few days to end up this wonderful holiday, and after checking into my favourite resort a highlight was visiting the Sabeto mud baths just out of Nadi with a friend. It's a truly amazing experience, where the visitor rubs mud all over the body and allows it to dry before heading in to the mud bath, followed by a relaxing bath in the hot springs, and topped off by a wonderful massage. What a great experience, and I'll never forget the mud baths at Sabeto. By accident or design come to Auckland to bask in all the city has to offer, basically all of you should be here now!

What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?" Groundhog Day, the movie

It's home time, so until next time I'm signing off for now

Tom

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Groundhog Day
Dave here.....great story and sorry you couldn't get where you wanted to go. Spending time with Jo Trouble was no doubt, a plus!

[littlewing]

Oh Tommy ... I cant help but laugh
Tonga was just teasing you surely...shes waiting for you I'm sure. A true testament to the resilience of travelers......but your story really takes the cake. The positive of catching up with the wonderful Jo Trouble makes up a little for the negatives....next time you are heading for Tonga, let me know, I only cause earthquakes and tsunamis and minor volcanic eruptions...you seem to have the volcano juju strong inside you :)

[Dancing Dave]

Ring a ring a rosie
Nothing like Mother Nature ruling when & where on a trip Tom. Even better when its a volcano. Seems obvious you were thus destined to meet Jo Trouble and Mother Nature had a part to play in that too!

[taracloud]

All wasn't lost!
How great that you got to meet Jo, end up in Fiji at mud baths and weren't so pressed for time that it was a disaster. Sad for those Tongans that had to stay in the airport for days and couldn't get home. And as always, bad experiences made good stories. Happy travels!

[Home and Away]

That's the craziest travel story I've ever heard...
Glad it was you and not me! Jo is a wonderful hostess in Auckland. We also shared dinner with her...actually two..one Thai followed by Italian. But that's another story.

[denidax]

That sounds actually quite funny reading about it... not for those stuck at the airport, I guess!

[RENanDREW]

What a saga!
At least there was a nice ending to the story...and you got to meet Jo! Looking forward to reading about Tonga Take-Two.

[Jo Trouble]

Your loss was my gain
A pleasant surprise for me that I was going to get to meet you after all, a lovely evening it was! Don't suppose all those passport stamps are on the same page? That would make a great photo for this entry. I had a case at work the next day of someone who was trying to get back from Tonga, they were telling me about the planes that flew over the airport but couldn't land - thought of you up there in that plane!