The Great Luggage Caper
Miss Cleo, go fuck yourself.
As I so adeptly predicted, my airline decided that my luggage wasn't quite ready for New Zealand yet. I landed on Tuesday, cleared passport control, and waited at the big black conveyor belt for my big black luggage. And waited.
After watching the same few bags float by about 15 times, I headed to the Qantas counter to make them aware of their incompetence. The lady was very nice, and I figured it didn't do a bit of good to get angry about the whole ordeal. It's not like I didn't know this was coming. So I laughed and joked my way through the paperwork process, though it took a ridiculously long time. They couldn't locate my bags in their "system", but they took all of my information, just in case they happened to stumble across them. Obviously, they have a great "system" of bag location. And I love how they call it "delayed luggage" when they have absolutely no idea which hemisphere my bags are in.
I didn't even bother harassing them or pushing for any compensation. Part of that was because I was just too tired to argue. And the other part was they hooked me up with a flippin' sweet Qantas T-shirt and a pair of Qantas boxers. Ship it crucial! Also, with the foresight of an oracle, I bought myself an annoyingly bright green and yellow "Australia" jumper in Sydney, and it looks like I get to wear that until the rest of my gear turns up. I did, however, neglect to understand that there is some good-natured rivalry and tension between Australia and New Zealand, similar to the relationship between the USA and Canada, but maybe a tad more insulting and hostile. They like each other, they just don't ... "like" each other. So now I'm the jackass wearing the bright yellow Australia get-up in Kiwi country. Good work, Eric.
Anyways, dodging the sideways looks from the locals, I made it to my hotel, the SkyCity Grand... and it is wonderful. SkyCity is a massive complex of hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, and casinos, and it is home to the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. The SkyTower stands 1,076 feet (328 meters) above Auckland, and it is a beautiful and photogenic building. I haven't explored much yet, but the rest of SkyCity looks very nice as well. Modern, clean, and upscale. Can't wait to check it out a little more. The best part of living under the tallest building in half the Earth is that it's damn near impossible to get lost when wandering around the city.
And the staff at the hotel is absolutely top-notch. At least I thought so until I was awakened by a loud knock on my door at 7:30am this morning, after just a few hours of sleep. I snapped awake and was immediately pissed off for just a second, until I realized that I was indeed waiting for that knock on my door. I jumped out of bed and opened the door to find a gentleman in a crisp white shirt holding my beloved luggage. I thanked him, grabbed my shit, and went straight back to bed for another few hours.
I love you, luggage. Welcome home to daddy.
As I so adeptly predicted, my airline decided that my luggage wasn't quite ready for New Zealand yet. I landed on Tuesday, cleared passport control, and waited at the big black conveyor belt for my big black luggage. And waited.
After watching the same few bags float by about 15 times, I headed to the Qantas counter to make them aware of their incompetence. The lady was very nice, and I figured it didn't do a bit of good to get angry about the whole ordeal. It's not like I didn't know this was coming. So I laughed and joked my way through the paperwork process, though it took a ridiculously long time. They couldn't locate my bags in their "system", but they took all of my information, just in case they happened to stumble across them. Obviously, they have a great "system" of bag location. And I love how they call it "delayed luggage" when they have absolutely no idea which hemisphere my bags are in.
I didn't even bother harassing them or pushing for any compensation. Part of that was because I was just too tired to argue. And the other part was they hooked me up with a flippin' sweet Qantas T-shirt and a pair of Qantas boxers. Ship it crucial! Also, with the foresight of an oracle, I bought myself an annoyingly bright green and yellow "Australia" jumper in Sydney, and it looks like I get to wear that until the rest of my gear turns up. I did, however, neglect to understand that there is some good-natured rivalry and tension between Australia and New Zealand, similar to the relationship between the USA and Canada, but maybe a tad more insulting and hostile. They like each other, they just don't ... "like" each other. So now I'm the jackass wearing the bright yellow Australia get-up in Kiwi country. Good work, Eric.
Anyways, dodging the sideways looks from the locals, I made it to my hotel, the SkyCity Grand... and it is wonderful. SkyCity is a massive complex of hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, and casinos, and it is home to the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. The SkyTower stands 1,076 feet (328 meters) above Auckland, and it is a beautiful and photogenic building. I haven't explored much yet, but the rest of SkyCity looks very nice as well. Modern, clean, and upscale. Can't wait to check it out a little more. The best part of living under the tallest building in half the Earth is that it's damn near impossible to get lost when wandering around the city.And the staff at the hotel is absolutely top-notch. At least I thought so until I was awakened by a loud knock on my door at 7:30am this morning, after just a few hours of sleep. I snapped awake and was immediately pissed off for just a second, until I realized that I was indeed waiting for that knock on my door. I jumped out of bed and opened the door to find a gentleman in a crisp white shirt holding my beloved luggage. I thanked him, grabbed my shit, and went straight back to bed for another few hours.
I love you, luggage. Welcome home to daddy.
posted by Eric at
11:15 PM
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