Day 1: Travel Day, Tāmaki Makaurau - Los Angeles
Nau mai
Yesterday we flew from Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa to Los Angeles, California.
It has been a busy couple of days so I’m just going to fire off a couple of warm up blogs to get things moving while the tour ramps up.
Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination; the wise words from Mainfreight’s public outreach team were seared into our retinas with a clarity not captured in this blurry, out-of-focus photograph.
This moment on the drive to Auckland International Airport can set the tone for the entire tour and we were glad that we caught a succinct piece of advice that could be applied to any situation.
It was this dedication that led us to try and use the Air New Zealand self-check-in, persisting for far longer than we should have with a series of ailing computer terminals that could give us nothing except for the winding wheel of death. After giving up and being checked in by human operators we proceeded through a quiet airport to our Monday evening flight. I attempted a Bee Line run of the duty-free area and found that it was quicker than the lazy river central concourse but had to concede that there was no perfect path to be found.
Tristan and the Cursed Computers: Tristan poses with his new cymbal and snare combined carry case. In the background you can see some of the cursed computers we had attempted to interact with .
Lamenting the unavailability of this broken table.
One of our goals for this tour is to master the art of the candid selfie.
Our flight was sweltering. This Boeing 777-300ER was completely packed with passengers and the systems were unable to cope with the output of human body heat. The flight attendants reassured us that they had the AC set to maximum and that it was in cooling, not heating mode. I asked a couple of knowledgeable sources about why an aircraft flying in -55°C (-418°F) air would struggle so much with this cooling issue.
Breakfast was served over the Pacific Ocean, and while there weren’t any landmarks to help me with our exact location if I had to guess I’d say it was somewhere around 18°51'4"N, 124°8'10"W. This was a meal that featured oats two ways – overnight with yoghurt, and berry compote, and toasted, café-style, with boysenberries, almonds, and blackcurrant. On the side I enjoyed a warm muffin and a small bowl filled with two grapes, two pieces of pineapple, and two orange slices.
We landed to a beautiful afternoon in Los Angeles. It was a great feeling disembarking from the aircraft into the full power of American Airconditioning at LAX. The remainder of our day was slow paced and relaxing. We met Annie, our tour manager, and handed over our decision-making responsibilities to this logistical mastermind.
Waiting for our ride at LAX and practising the art of the candid selfie.
Filling our tummies with carpark tacos immediately after leaving the airport.