Airport delay

A bit of drama at the normally simple  Wellie airport. I arrived right on thirty minutes early to find most people already assembled and sitting quietly. Half an hour later no announcements of any reason for delay but finaly an apologetic Asian voice says there has been some problem with an accident to an incoming passenger and they do not know when we will be leaving. No more information. Typical airport obfuscation. No-one seems to say a word.

Patient Kiwis waiting..

Discussing the wait..

Ron overseeing the problem.

An hour later we take off with nary an apology and just some murmuring about seat fourteen which may have been soiled. I quickly order a muffin and airline coffee  (not a real one) to satisfy my lack of caffeine leaving home so early this morning. It is a full flight and I am sure there will be somedisgruntled  passengers. Friend Ron's flight is leaving two hours later so he texts me saying to find my own way from airport with American Neil who has already arrived, courtesy of Air New Zealand.

Enfin, Cafe Alleluya!

Well after a semi disastrous beginning I have arrived in the sunny and quite hot city of Auckland which is where we take a bus to our destination later this afternoon. 

Meeting up with New York comic Neil at the airport we took a Shuttle bus together to the centre where the action is starting. But having had no brekkie I repair immediately to my local and favourite cafe Alleluya to have two softly poached eaggs on ciabatta and a reasonable coffee. New Zealand being what it is, ie small and friendly, I happen to sight Bruce sitting alone, also availing himself of a caffeine hit. As he is here to counsel a young man in the news about hiv infection I say a quick hullo before I take another table and leave the arriving young man to his counsellor. I am sure he is in good hands, and I will be having long chats with Bruce during the weekend anyway. 

This weekend will by its nature be somewhat political as I intend, as I already said to B., to stand down from the Board unless my arm is twisted, but I don't think it will be. There are two candidates waiting in the wings in Wellington to take my place anyway. So out with the old and in with the new. Bruce can't speak anyway as it was his decision to stand down last year as well.

The tug o' war nature of my decision to quit these windy isles is always to fore when I talk with someone like B, a lovely Kiwi man who has lived much of his life in Sydney but who returned in times of crisis to help establish the New Zealand AIDS foundation, and following that, the formation of Body Positive. He is indeed an iconic Kiwi and will soon be appropriately honoured for his services.

Climate wise, Auckland is far in advance of Wellington with its insuperable wind channel through the Cook Straits. Here the weather is somewhat wild I must admit, but it doesn't have that battling quality which sets Wellington aside as the 'great achiever', a quality to which quite frankly,  I can't and don't wish to aspire. I am just too bloody old.. There I said it, the ageist card again, but I'm afraid it's true and the idea of settling somewhere where I have some old friends is becoming more and more appealing as I get on in years. And naturally it is in Australia where I have these friends - in Sydney, Gosford, Newcastle, Melbourne and even Tasmania, where I still have a soft spot nestling in my heart.

So now on with my last weekend away in Auckland, and I hope I can survive it unharmed and with some good things emerging from it. As well a nice visit to Waiheke to see Norma who has just informed me the sale of her house has fallen throught, the would-be purchaser having died from a heart attack. Oops, what's happening there? I hope her lucky streak is not ending but she is canny one and should be OK.