Straight flight to New Zealand

Southern Alps through the clouds

As requested we are keeping a journal of our trip again. If you don't want to get automatic notifications sent to you this time then feel free to unsubscribe- we don't see any names, we don't mind!!

So we are currently surviving 28 flying hours miraculously well. The kids have been unbelievably great, they have slept when they were tired and picked at the bits of food they like in between times.

To be fair to them, the food trail is fairly constant up here. It's been 25 hours since we left Heathrow, and we have had 2 x 3 course breakfasts and 2 x 3 course dinners, plus coffee and cakes in between each one! Although technically to us it's been 36 hours since we left as we're now 13 hours ahead, so that doesn't feel quite so pig-like in black and white.

The kids pre-ordered children's meals. For Frey we had to email to request it as technically she's on an adult ticket, but after pointing out that the meals are designed for 2-7 year olds and so the portion sizes are appropriate to that, I think it's fair to say these must be savagely hungry 2 year olds they are feeding. There is so much food, and a great variety of picky bits and hot meal for them too. They also get their meals half an hour before us, which means no adult food going cold while helping them get into the atmospherically swollen yoghurt lids.

Sunflower garden at Singapore Airport

We choose to fly Singapore Air after they were a) the second most direct option and b) the second cheapest option (China Southern wasn't on our radars so we thought we'd give that one a miss despite it being £200 EACH cheaper!). Ironically, the most expensive option was Air NZ who code share both the flights we are on so, no big loss not choosing them either.

The attention to detail is lovely- the little toothbrushes and even tinier toothpaste in a little zip pouch with a brand new pair of fleecey socks on each flight, the constant stream of snacks and drinks plying the aisles, even when it's pitch black and most people are asleep. And when they think someone has been in the toilets a little too long, they are there ready and waiting with their air fresheners outside to check it over before some else goes in!

Singapore Changi airport itself was huge, absolutely enormous. We saw sunflower gardens, play areas, more shops than a American mall, and enjoyed a little whizz around the terminals on the sky train. We're told there is a swimming pool and butterfly garden on the transit side too, but that was too far away from our gate today, and this is our shorter layover, and as one of our accommodations for next week in the very very popular Mount Cook area got cancelled yesterday by an automatic email, we didn't to crack on with emailing the owner and looking for alternatives, and just generally do some lying down leg stretching (while drinking more coffee obviously!)

Suns rise between Australia and NZ

For now, we are halfway over the Tasman Sea between Australia and NZ, the sun is just rising and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day in Christchurch...unlike tomorrow's forecast!