JOURNEY HOME FROM HELL

On arrival at Los Angeles we got a taxi to our hotel totally unaware of what had happened until we turned on our television and saw all the flight disruption it had caused.  We tried to get information about our next day flight to UK but to no avail just told to turn up at LA Airport at our allotted time.

After a worrying night receiving text and e-mail messages from home telling us all the UK airports were closed we left our hotel and took a taxi to the Airport. There was no information available until long after check-in time then we were told that all flights to the UK were cancelled.

We now found ourselves with no hotel accommodation and no news as to another flight time and date. We managed to get a telephone number for a hotels bureau and after nearly an hour we confirmed a room in the Spanish sector of LA about twenty minutes from the airport.

The hotel was basic but at least we each had a rooms to stay in until we heard when we could get a flight. The cost of the room with breakfast was our responsibility and had to be rebooked daily because we had no idea of a departure. We could get no information from New Zealand Airways or our travel agent every door we tried to open was impenetrable.

During the six days of our enforced stay in America my mobile phone bill amassed £435 and hotel accommodation £450. Added to this my medication ran out and I had to pay to see a Doctor and then purchase replacement medication which cost me £325.

None of this enforced expenditure has been re-imbursed as our Insurers and Air New Zealand refused to take responsibility. Unluckily the replacement medication reacted against my normal tablets and I was very poorly for the two days preceding our eventual flight home to Heathrow. Our seats were upgraded to Business Class so fortunately I had a bed to lie down on and slept during the entire journey leaving Wayne to enjoy a six course cordon bleu meal!

After wiping out the American experience and taking nearly a month to recover from the medication effects my memories of New Zealand our very vivid and I would quite happily contemplate another visit one day to tour South Island in more detail.