To RAR in April via AKL

[wallacej]

Having about 4 hours stopover in AKL on the way to and from RAR in April. Does anyone know how I can access the lounge. I am travelling on Air NewZealand. Do they have guest passes, or does anyone have guest pass (or two, if such thing exists).

I am guessing that the stopover doesn't allow enough time to get out of the airport and back again for the next flight. And I understand if I do that I would have to take my luggae, then re-check??

All thoughts, as usual are appreciated.

 

[harvyk]

Can't answer in regards to the lounge, but AirNZ will more than likely check your bags all the way to RAR...

BTW 4 hours is not enough time to leave AKL, even on a good day you'd take an hour at least getting from the airport to the city, plus 15 min immi \ maf.

 

[trooper]

Bags will be checked right through - assuming NZ all the way - and it is possible to leave the airport for "the day" but I concur that you really don't have time to do anything worthwhile...

NZ Guest passes can only be used by Koru Club/NZ elites to take in guests.. they are not "stand alone"...

SO.. best bet is to find an NZ elite who is going to be there too! That could be complicated if there are two of you (not sure from your post) because only the top level ("Gold Elite") can guest in multiple people...

 

[wallacej]

Thanks Trooper and Harveyk. Well I guess this is then a call to any Gold Elites travelling in mid April...

 

[albatross710]

Having about 4 hours stopover in AKL on the way to and from RAR in April. .

Hi wallacej, was this a redemption booking? If so how was availability?

I was in the AKL lounge back in November and it is a very pleasant way to spend 4 hours.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Bags will be checked right through - assuming NZ all the way - and it is possible to leave the airport for "the day" but I concur that you really don't have time to do anything worthwhile...

NZ Guest passes can only be used by Koru Club/NZ elites to take in guests.. they are not "stand alone"...

SO.. best bet is to find an NZ elite who is going to be there too! That could be complicated if there are two of you (not sure from your post) because only the top level ("Gold Elite") can guest in multiple people...

If not ANZ through, will depend upon interline arragements in place. I would say mostly likely will through check. It is a country town.

SPRUCE

 

[trooper]

From MEL?

So NZ124 connecting to NZ 48? Hmm.. that's only 1:20....

Must be from SYD? NZ102/NZ48? If you can get on NZ104 that cuts the layover in half.... ???

I AM passing through AKL in APR but mainly LAX-AKL-SYD so my layovers are in the morning...... Sorry!

Perhaps asking on FT (Flyertalk) ? Bigger NZ/*A community there... never know your luck...

 

[wallacej]

Hi wallacej, was this a redemption booking? If so how was availability?

I was in the AKL lounge back in November and it is a very pleasant way to spend 4 hours.

it was one redemption and one purchase, redemption via united, seemed ok for availability got dates i asked for.
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[wallacej]

From MEL?

So NZ124 connecting to NZ 48? Hmm.. that's only 1:20....

Must be from SYD? NZ102/NZ48? If you can get on NZ104 that cuts the layover in half.... ???

I AM passing through AKL in APR but mainly LAX-AKL-SYD so my layovers are in the morning...... Sorry!

Perhaps asking on FT (Flyertalk) ? Bigger NZ/*A community there... never know your luck...

No, it is
12:00 PM Fri 23 Apr
Melbourne 5:25 PM Fri 23 Apr
Auckland NZ0124


9:20 PM Fri 23 Apr
Auckland 3:15 AM Fri 23 Apr
Cook Is (Rarotonga)NZ0048
Horroble time for arrival, I don't understand why they have a 3am arrival, I am sure most travellers would be going for Holidays, not many other options available.

Anyway, so that gives just under 4 hours, and assume 40 minutes to get off, and 40 to get back on, only really leaves just over two hours.
I gather from what has been said, the airport is the place to stay.
We have a friend though we would like to catch up with, I am guessing we would have to leave the International area to meet them. Does anyone see a problem with that. I assume we won't need a Visa being Australian, but I guess if we are leaving the airport we are entering their country.

So, the question is now, if we meet our friend at the airport, where. Who has been there that could give us a suggestion, and what trouble we may run into by wanting to leave the Int. terminal (I am not even sure if AKL has one airport like MEL, or if Int. is seperate similar to SYD/BNE).

Thanks in advance.

 

[tuapekastar]

No, it is
12:00 PM Fri 23 Apr
Melbourne 5:25 PM Fri 23 Apr
Auckland NZ0124


9:20 PM Fri 23 Apr
Auckland 3:15 AM Fri 23 Apr
Cook Is (Rarotonga)NZ0048
Horroble time for arrival, I don't understand why they have a 3am arrival, I am sure most travellers would be going for Holidays, not many other options available.

Anyway, so that gives just under 4 hours, and assume 40 minutes to get off, and 40 to get back on, only really leaves just over two hours.
I gather from what has been said, the airport is the place to stay.
We have a friend though we would like to catch up with, I am guessing we would have to leave the International area to meet them. Does anyone see a problem with that. I assume we won't need a Visa being Australian, but I guess if we are leaving the airport we are entering their country.

So, the question is now, if we meet our friend at the airport, where. Who has been there that could give us a suggestion, and what trouble we may run into by wanting to leave the Int. terminal (I am not even sure if AKL has one airport like MEL, or if Int. is seperate similar to SYD/BNE).

Thanks in advance.

I assume this is a one-off, so joining the Koru club (paid membership a la QP) is going to be way beyond reasonable (KC in MEL, AKL and I think RAR).

AKL has separate INT/DOM terminals - an easy ~10 minute walk betwen the two.

I have no idea as to entering the country just to catch up with a friend. If it's no issue with NZ immi/customs then it's physically no big deal. Just have your friend meet you as if you were entering NZ (which in fact you are), spend the time, then go back through immi etc. Unsure how the fact your baggage is checked through affects any of this.

 

[Bundy Bear]

For an Australian passport holder there will be no issue.

Your luggage will be checked through.

You will need to get an inwards immigration card on the plane as though you are staying in the country.

You will need an address on the form so use the address of the person you are meeting.

Time of stay 1 day. :shock:

You depart the plane and are on the lower level you walk through duty free then passport control then down stairs to the baggage carousel then on the left is the 3 queues for MAF to make sure you aren't bringing stuff into the country.

Then you are outside and there is food court upstairs escalator to the right hand side. After dinner then you will need to get a form for departing New Zealand. They should be everywhere, if not the check in desks have them.

You will probably need to head back through passport control about 1 hour before your flight is to leave.

Don't have liquids with you and make sure you have a pen.

After going through passport control and security you then go through the duty free area; bigger than the arrivals one then upstairs to the departure concourse.

4 hours is plenty of time but not a stack of time.

I don't know why anyone mentioned about the domestic terminal especially if you are only connecting on international flights; there isn't much there anyway.

 

[wallacej]

Thanks guys, and Bundy, will be good to catch up with you again some day... cheers for the good info!

 

[trooper]

All the connections I've done in AKL from Pacific Islands to elsewhere have been pretty long... I have routinely left the airport... declaring my stay as "1 day" as Bundy Bear mentions..

For address I have always just written "Transit" and never had a problem....

If you had longer I'd recommend the Maritime Museum... bloody good indeed - and - just about right next to the Airport bus terminus in town...:mrgreen:

 

[serfty]

... If you had longer I'd recommend the Maritime Museum... bloody good indeed - and - just about right next to the Airport bus terminus in town...:mrgreen:

Not as close as it used to be - the Airport bus no longer travels along Quay st these days - it simply does a loop at the end of Queen St - it would be a 300 metre walk each way now.

wallacej, I'm travelling MEL to AKL that evening but on QF133, so 1) too late and 2) on another carrier.

 

[serfty]

... Horroble time for arrival, I don't understand why they have a 3am arrival, I am sure most travellers would be going for Holidays, not many other options available. ...

NZ do a lot of evening island turnarounds - I guess they prefer to utilise their Airbii for stuff like TT during "daylight" hours.

It may be this "horroble time" was why there was award availability.

I note on the FT AirNZ forum mention of a similar SYD-RAR vv service coming soon.

 

[harvyk]

NZ do a lot of evening island turnarounds - I guess they prefer to utilise their Airbii for stuff like TT during "daylight" hours.

I've assumed that it was due to "Island Time". When we flew RAR-AKL-MEL we where only checking in about 20 minutes (so much for the recommended 2 to 3 hours earlier) before the plane was "scheduled" to fly. This was because the resort only arranged for us to be picked up about an hour and a half before the flight, and even then the driver arrived late, took their time working out who should be on the bus and then took forever before he decided to leave. I found out that this was a fairly common occurance.

So I figured that AirNZ flew at such awful times as should a flight be delayed for hours due to "island time" it would not affect the rest of the flights that plane is scheduled to fly that day.

 

[albatross710]

NZ do a lot of evening island turnarounds - I guess they prefer to utilise their Airbii for stuff like TT during "daylight" hours.

It may be this "horroble time" was why there was award availability.

I note on the FT AirNZ forum mention of a similar SYD-RAR vv service coming soon.

A SYD-RAR flight would be fantastic for redemptions!

I also looked at the current arrival times into RAR and thought that it was an aircraft utilisation issue similar to Virginblue flights to Darwin at ungodly hours.

 

[serfty]

A SYD-RAR flight would be fantastic for redemptions! ...

Here's the FT thread: SYD-RAR starts July - FlyerTalk Forums

Conjecture there is that it'll utilise an aircraft normally overnighting in SYD.

 

[wallacej]

NZ do a lot of evening island turnarounds - I guess they prefer to utilise their Airbii for stuff like TT during "daylight" hours.

It may be this "horroble time" was why there was award availability.

I note on the FT AirNZ forum mention of a similar SYD-RAR vv service coming soon.

Forgive my horrible typing, maybe i meant horrorable....
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[Bundy Bear]

Thanks guys, and Bundy, will be good to catch up with you again some day... cheers for the good info!

You know the location; just plan a drinks night during the week next you are in Brisbane.

Transit also works as well; did that in Singapore and I was there for 90 minutes during a 4 hour transit. I went to breakfast at a typically Singapore eating area.