Thanks!
We had the day in Auckland sorting out the hire car and the missing baggage and me and Mrs S got an NZ SIM each from Spark in the airport. The price I had seen online was NZ$78 each, with one month of as much yacky and tappy as you like and 50 GB of data. I figured that was a pretty good deal. When we got to the Spark desk, the guy said we could have them for NZ$68 each, which worked out at £32.51 for each SIM. It seemed the best deal of the lot.
I asked that the chap put the SIMs in and make sure they are working, which was good, as there were a couple of issues, one of which my techy IT lad showed the guy how to sort, so it was a good trade all round.
When I first started looking for a NZ SIM, I searched online for, not surprisingly, "NZ SIM". Very quickly I was looking at SIM only deals with very little data for a surprisingly high cost.
Then I searched "Travellers SIM", and that brought up exactly what we needed. A no-worries pre-loaded SIM (no messing about topping up) that expires after a month, with a decent amount of data to cover all eventualities (IE places with no WiFi).
Hopefully this will help anyone searching for something similar in the future.
The airline said they would forward our missing cases anywhere we liked. We did ask the hotel in Auckland if they were OK taking in our cases, and they were, so we rang them to see if they had them. They said no, so we wondered what to do next. The baggage handlers had put a number on the form, but they never answered it, so I decided we should go back to the airport about an hour after it landed and make a nuisance of ourselves. Turned out they had got them. The only thing we had to do was to wait while the cases went through Biosecurity checks.
NZ are really strict about what you bring into the country.
If you bring swimming, fishing or walking gear in, they check it to see it is clean and free from soil, grasses, seeds and vegetation, as they don't want any non-native species being introduced to their islands. You also have to declare controlled drugs, which in some countries includes meds with codeine in. So I declared those, they were OK.
Dubai (where we transited) are incredibly strict about prescription meds. You cannot have more than a month's supply of any controlled drugs like codeine and you need to have written attestation from your GP to say that you are authorised by the health authorities to use this medication. Plus, they want to see copies of the prescriptions that have been rubber-stamped and signed by the GP.
They want all of this even if you are not entering the country but just transiting through.
I was worried about some antibiotics that I had been prescribed on the day we were due to fly, as they had not got the requested counter-signed, stamped paperwork, but it was OK.
I guess it may have been a different story if they were codeine-based painkillers.
Anyway, back to Auckland Airport...
I had all this paperwork from my GP, so I showed it to the Biosecurity officer and he was happy.
All I can say about this topic is to do your research and be well-prepared for any eventuality.
One thing I did do was to put all my meds in my carry on case (which effectively left little room for anything else) but this meant that when my hold luggage didn't turn up in NZ, at least all my meds were with me.
A little tip, if you need to use medical equipment (in my case, a CPAP machine) you are allowed to carry this on board in addition to your normal carry-on allowance.
But I cannot say it is easy, either in terms of the practicalities of sleeping in cattle class (sorry, I mean economy) or using the machine in a cramped space.
I ended up putting out my tray table, and putting the CPAP bag on it. When it came to meals, the kit would be packed away and the bag zipped up, then I would place the tray on top of the bag.
Bit of a juggling act! It would be nice to go for premium economy next time as you have a bit more space, and a wider seat.
Side-tracked again, sorry....
Food items you have to declare as well, so I declared my packet of mints. There were no meat products or beef products in them, so they passed muster too.
"Meat and bee products?"
"In sweets?"
I hear you cry.
Some sweets have gelatin in them, usually from beef or pork, while others have honey in them.
One passenger I saw was throwing food away and the Biosecurity officer told me others were fined for not declaring stuff.
When I opened my case, I noticed at the very bottom was a slip of paper saying that my case had been "respectfully" unpacked and checked by Biosecurity.
I was shocked, as the case was exactly as I had packed it, not a single thing out of place.
I guess they do this a lot and get very good at it!
When we chose which car to hire, I wanted something with plenty of cabin food for 4 (three of us plus Rowan) and a boot big enough for all the luggage.
I chose a Group P car, specifically a Nissan X-Trail, as it had a much bigger boot than other cars in that group, like the MG HS.
Even so, it was a pinch. We ended up putting stuff on the back middle seat.
So we got our cases and left the airport for the second time.
The original plan was to head North on the West coast towards 90 mile beach. Then to go down the East coast towards Tauranga, which is where Rowan lives and works, but because we lost a day, then more time messing around buying clothes and picking up the luggage, we ditched that plan. Instead we headed for Coromandel.
We are there now, having overnighted in an AirBandB. Had a great meal at a place in the town, then bought some breakfast and lunch stuff.
We are going on a train journey later. Driving Creek railway.
The sun over the water enroute to Coromandel.
The view from the balcony of our accommodation.
The lounge in Coromandel.
