We planned to set off for Auckland Airport between 9 and 9.30am for our flight leaving 2.10pm. Plenty of time to get organised first. We left right on time at 9.40. Got 100m up Howell Ave and pulled over to check if I packed my computer charger. Yes it was in the carry on. Then just before we joined the Expressway Mike said “are you sure you have the passports?”  “Yes in my handbag behind me”. “I don’t see a handbag” he says. So stop again to check. It was a different bag from what he expected and hard to see on the black seats!  

We parked in the Park and Ride as the train is not working during the time we arrive back in July. Otherwise the plan was to take the train up. The journey through to check in was uneventful. We are on an Air NZ ticket but code share with Singapore Airlines so had to check in there. We still got into the Koru lounge which was good. Managed to get a few jobs done and get on the flight as expected. 

We flew Premium Economy and had the front two seats which meant lots of leg room but a bigger distance from the screens which was too much for Mike. However he listened to his book. 

Food was pretty good as were the drinks. We stayed awake so that we could sleep on the next leg through to Heathrow on a British Airlines flight. I watched numerous movies and completed some puzzles. 

On arrival at Singapore we had to go to the transfer desk to get boarding passes although our bags had been checked through to Aberdeen. We check the board for which terminal and found our flight was cancelled. So off we raced to find the transfer desk. There are all these giant signs saying transfer but they seem to point to the transfer lounges upstairs. We needed the walk but even so were getting pretty stressed by the time we had walked the length of terminal 3 and still not found a transfer desk. It turns out the transfer desk is behind the lounge areas at the base of the escalators to the lounges. 

We were directed to Terminal 1 which is where BA flies from. The transfer process was very efficient. The first man directed us to a lady that booked us onto a KLM flight to Amsterdam that then flies direct to Aberdeen (our intended destination). The bags would stay on the original tags but be rerouted. We had an extra 2 hours in Singapore so were pretty tired by the time we boarded at 2am NZ time. 

We were not so lucky with our seats. Back row of premium economy in the 2 centre seats of a row of 4. So we were effectively trapped between 2 random people. However we had pretty good sleeps and were remarkably chirpy on arrival in Amsterdam. KLM serves great breakfasts! 

We had just an hour at Schipol airport and then on a commuter flight to Aberdeen. It was a relief to see the bags also arrive. It’s not too cold here. You need jeans and a jacket but there was sunshine and the sunnies were necessary. Maureen (Mo – Mike’s second cousin)and Ian collected us and we had a quick call into say hello to Sylvia (Mo’s older sister) on the way past their house then off to Banchory. 

Banchory is like the Cambridge of Aberdeen. A small but growing town on the outskirts where people live and commute. It’s sufficiently far from the coast to avoid the cold sea fogs but still an easy drive. 

Mo and Ian live in a suburb full of houses that would not be unusual in NZ. All single storey (bungalows) with pretty gardens. 

We lasted all day although I faded fast right after dinner. It’s supposed to rain both days of the weekend – although it’s apparently been lovely for the past 5 weeks. Yeah right 🤗