Getting there is half the fun...

...but it can still take a long, long time!

We had decided to fly with Emirates once again, as we had done last year when we joined Serenity in Sydney. And once again, we chose first class because of the comfort on these very long flights. The stretch between Dubai and Auckland is the longest that Emirates flies, usually taking around 16 hours.

We were fortunate in that we had a good tail wind throughout the flight, and although at the outset the captain said we could save an hour, we arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. That loss of time might have been because the route we flew didn't follow the projected one that was shown on the TVs - rather than crossing over Australia, Larry says we actually flew down the west side and across the Southern Ocean and onward to New Zealand. We guess it was because of the potential for turbulence over a longer period of time (due to the very hot ground weather in Australia) that they decided to make the change. Good thing, because we ended up with a very nice, smooth flight.

Here are a few photos from the flights and our stay in Dubai. Speaking of Dubai, we had intended to possibly get out in the afternoon, maybe see if we could go to the observation level at the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, or maybe even just go the pool... That didn't quite work out. We hadn't had too much sleep on the first flight, and we ended up crashing for a nap for about 4 hours. Oh, well, the Le Meridien Hotel where Emirates books the first class layovers was still very nice and we had a good dinner at the Beef Bistro on Thursday evening.

Flight #1 - Toronto to Dubai

Monica's suite, complete with glass of Veuve Clicquot. They didn't bring out the
Dom Perignon until we were in the air!

Larry relaxing with his drinks bar (water, juice and pop)
and Perrier

The food on this flight was quite delicious:

Casviar and Dom Perignon

Dinner appetizer - duo of seafood

Lamb rack for dinner

And berry tartlet for dessert

Breakfast! Start your day off with a fruit plate and yogurt

Scrambled eggs with potato, baked beans, mushroom
and veal sausage. Almost like being in England!!

Our overnight stay in Dubai:

The lobby of the Le Meridien Hotel in Dubai

Dinner at the Beef Bistro. Caesar Salad, rib
steak with frites and more salad.

Flight #2 - Dubai to Auckland:

Another A380 waiting to take off. Boy, are these things big!

Couldn't resist the Eggs Florentine for breakfast. And believe it or
not, the poached eggs were even still a bit runny!

Sunrise over the Southern Ocean

And once we arrived at the Hilton Auckland Princes Wharf, right near the ferry terminal and the cruise ship terminal. The hotel is actually on a wharf and is shaped like a ship, with a pointy bow and everything, so it has a very nautical decor. We have one of the bow rooms, which is a bit of an odd shape, but still the same size as any other. It just has more windows and a much nicer view. There are even windows in the bathroom!!

The lobby and lobby bar area

Our room with its huge expanse of window

The bathroom; even the WC has a window - and yes, there are
shades on those windows!!

Now that we've brought you up to date, it's time to get to bed. We are planning a good walk around downtown Auckland tomorrow to make up for all the time we've been sitting still.