December 15-16, 2025 Journey to Sydney

   The Skytrain ride from downtown Vancouver to the airport was a little over 30 minutes. We arrived before the check-in desks opened at 2:45 p.m., but were second in line. We had a nice chat with a young New Zealand woman who was returning home from five weeks with friends exploring Europe and Iceland. She was continuing her trip at Auckland with a flight to Christchurch.

    Our Nexus cards allowed us into the verified traveller line and skipped the long security line. We were in the International departure area just after 3 p.m. There were still almost three hours until our plane boarded so we walked a bit around the airport and found the Plaza Premium Lounge where Claire has passes from her credit card. 

   We decided we would have a late lunch. The buffet had two kinds of yogurt; salad greens; potato salad; snacks - nacho chips and pretzels; four hot selections - Vegan Jambalaya, Chicken Stroganoff, Sheppards Pie and cooked vegetables - and two soups - Tomato Bisque and Oden (Japanese Fish ball broth). There was a limited bar selection of beer, wine and soft drinks. An espresso coffee/hot chocolate machine and dessert - Mango Mousse, Tiramisu, mini bundt cakes and chocolate chip cookies. We chose a booth for two and stayed until it was time to find our gate to board the plane.

   The Economy seats were filled by rows starting at the back. It was a surprise that the plane was not full and many of the three seat rows had only two passengers. We were fortunate to be one of those, the window seat was empty.  We were seated two rows from the over wing emergency exit, which was close to the toilets. There was a ten minute delay to load the luggage. Push back was 6:49 p.m. Monday evening (which was 3:49 p.m. Tuesday in Auckland). Takeoff was at 7:03 p.m. The estimated time of arrival was 5:09 a.m. Wednesday morning for the approximately 13 hour flight.

     Our step count was 11,406.

    There were about 50 movies and several television series to choose from. There were games, which included chess and sudoku, several dozen categories of music and the flight map. None of the movies held our interest, but we tried some games, but reverted to an ebook or Claire’s paperback Out of Bounds. 

   Dinner was served around 8 p.m. The choice was beef and rice or chicken and mashed potatoes. They came with cooked mixed vegetables, quinoa salad, packet of Ritz crackers, small bun, butter, chocolate cake and wooden cutlery and a napkin. You could accompany the meal with wine, spirits, soft drinks or water. During the dinner service, the attendants has to be seated due to rather bumpy turbulence that felt like travelling on a washboard gravel road in a vehicle with no suspension. Once the dishes were cleared, the aisle lights were dimmed until two hours before landing.  For the next five hours there was intermittent turbulence, but not as severe.  We did not sleep much but the extra space from the third seat was appreciated.

        The distance between Vancouver (Vancouver International Airport) and Auckland (Auckland International Airport) is 7,043 miles (11,335 km). The distance between Sydney and Auckland is 1,345 miles (2,164 km).

    During the flight both the equator and International Dateline were crossed. The latter caused the “loss” of a day, which we will “find” when we return home.

     Breakfast service started with the lights brightening about two hours before landing. The choice was scrambled eggs & ham with cooked spinach and potato cubes or pancakes with a white sauce, a small cinnamon bun, a cup of cut melon pieces, raspberry or cherry yogurt and coffee, tea or juice. Trays were collected about an hour before landing.

    It was dark for the whole flight. Dawn was just hinting of breaking through some clouds as we landed at 5:14 a.m. Wednesday, with any a short taxi to the terminal building. We followed the signs for international transiting passengers to a security line, but you kept on your shoes and kept the liquids and electronics in your carry-on. By 6 a.m., we were in the airport’s International Terminal and noticed that our flight to Sydney scheduled for 9 a.m. was delayed to 10:45 a.m. due to the plane coming into Auckland late.

    There was very little computer charging outlets AND they were for New Zealand plugs. The adapter was in our checked luggage. There will be charging on the flight to Sydney which should hopefully have American plugs. At 8 a.m. we had only accumulated 3,214 steps.

    After writing the blog we found a coffee kiosk. There is even a McCafé in the terminal.


Plaza Premium Lounge decoration
Mango Mousse & Tiramisu
dinner was served around 8 p.m.

scrambled eggs & ham with cooked spinach breakfast





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