Airport Snooze

I don’t know what I would have done if I were in the pre-internet age. All travel agencies were closed for the weekend in Christchurch. Thanks to the internet, it didn’t take long for me to book a reasonably-priced flight to Brisbane for Tuesday. Of course, cheap flights usually mean weird hours. My flight leaves Christchurch at 6:15 a.m. tomorrow morning.

After spending a day moping around the city, I get a box from a bike shop, pack up my bike, and take the bus to the airport. I am going to sleep on the floor at the airport so I can wake up early enough to make the flight. Earlier in the day I consulted the website Sleeping in Airports to see what they have to say about the prospect of sleeping in the Christchurch airport. Apparently it’s quite the standard practice there. From the way people described their experience there, I would almost expect the airport staff to bring me a pillow.

With this information in tow, I get off the bus and lug my stuff straight into the international arrival hall. As I survey the area for a good place to lay down my sleeping bag, an airport employee comes up and gives me advice for a good spot. I plop down my box and panniers next to the row of telephones by the arrival gate, thus claiming my piece of territory for the next eight hours or so. A little later, a few other groups of people start to arrive, all are spending the night. After shooting the breeze with them a little, I decide to turn in for the night. To make sure I get some semi-quality sleep, I am going all out: inflatable mattress, blow-up pillow, sleeping bag, blinder, and alarm clock – I am a tent away from totally camping out.

So I sleep undisturbed other than by the noise from passengers arriving on late flights. At quarter to five, my alarm jolts me up from a deep sleep; and I start the process of jumping through the series of familiar but tedious hoops to get on my plane. So long, New Zealand. I didn’t get a proper look at you this time. But just you wait, someday I’ll come even more prepared to experience the mountains, the lakes, the glaciers, the wind, the rain, and even the famous sandflies. I’ll just consider this truncated trip a “taster”. New Zealand, I’ll be back!