On Monday afternoon, I flew up to Auckland for a work trip. I have my work bag packing down to 10 minutes, always make sure I have a suitable book or two (has to have a good plot, be easy to read, engrossing on a bumpy flight) and ensure I know where I am going when I get to the other end. That sounds obvious, but each trip means a different place.
As someone who is interested in food, I always think about where I am going to eat dinner when I am on these trips. I had hoped to visit a place that came highly recommended, but it was fully booked on the Tuesday and shut on the Monday. So on Monday I walked to Charlie Baxter’s pub in Ellerslie. I ordered a beer from Hawke’s Bay and a very good pepperoni pizza, sat in a corner and read my book. Friendly staff and nice beer, it was a good place to go.
The weather on Tuesday was dreadful, with torrential rain, so my original plans pivoted and I went to Tok Tok which was very close to the hotel. I had the shaking beef, which had a good amount of necessary vegetables too.
On Wednesday, the day I was due to fly home, I got a message from Air New Zealand at 08:30am to tell me my flight that afternoon was cancelled. Panic, naturally set in, but I was able to rebook through the app on my phone for a flight two hours later. This, of course, was not too bad, especially as this meant I was now on the Koru hour flight which equates to being served wine and cheese and crackers. Every cloud, as they say. However, it meant that I was to miss the evening with Peter Gordon fund raising event for the Katherine Mansfield House and Garden. Still, I was going to get home which was the main thing. I also ended up on the same flight as this beautiful assistance dog.
Well….the next morning I read on social media that Peter Gordon had been on the flight just before mine, which, due to the weather, failed to land in Wellington (yet an hour later, we were fine) and was returned to Auckland. He ended up participating in the event through Zoom from his home, and by all accounts, it was still a great evening that I am sorry to have missed. But I got home, and at the end of the day, that was the most important.
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis
