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Trip Report (my first, bear with me…) TUS-LAX-RAR-AIT-RAR-LAX-TUS TUS-LAX;  May 14th;  United Shuttle #2536;  737-300 or damned near, the wife and I must be the only fools who abide by the carry-on limit.  Typical UA Express flight crew, they seem to want to be nice, but can only reach the edge of polite.  The flight was smooth and uneventful w/ the exception of moderate turbulence over Riverside/San Bernadino  (just enough to remind me how much I hate I believe is in Terminal 7. @ LAX; Got our baggage and went to the airport shuttle bus stop at about 2:50pm.  What a mistake, I found out later I could have walked to Terminal 2 in about 10 minutes, as it was it took two or three cycles of the bus to get a seat, but what the heck, I had a 6/hr wait. Checked in at 4:00pm’ish, the agent stated the flight would be at less than 50% capacity and asked if we were honeymooners.  I stupidly said "no, just anniversary", wonder if I cost myself a business class upgrade……Saw my first large jets, 747-400’s (I think….long upper cabin) and 747-200’s (Again a guess….short upper cabin).  Also saw my first Airbus-340, damned sight larger than I expected.  It was a British Virgin Airways and had the words "NO WAY BA/AA" in huge letters on the side, what was that all about?  Also, is it me or can you see the wings sag quite a bit when the plane is off the ground? It parked next to a pair of 747’s and sure didn’t look like it held less.  We did our first duty free shopping, fairly good prices.  My wife had her bag sniffed for explosives, or so they say by the same security person after our fourth time through.  LAX was cool, but after about 4 hrs I’ve seen enough. LAX-RAR;  May 14th-15th;  Air New Zealand #53;  767-300ER Boarded a fine looking 767 at 7:45pm, it was only half full (appx 120 people), yet it had 6 pacific-class (coach) attendants.  Pushed back at 8:38pm, scheduled 8:45pm.  The great service began immediately. Less than 30 minutes into the flights the bar came around for all we could drink beer, Champagne and wine.  Probably 1/2 an hour later dinner came around.  The menu was a choice of small rack of lamb, beef medallions or fish, Vegetable medley or baked spud, hot rolls and butter, a choice of deserts, after dinner drinks, etc.  Very tasty indeed.  Maybe it was the 50% capacity, but it was all you can eat, too.  The Pacific class seating was comfy for coach.  I loved the adjustable headrests, made sleeping on the flight much easier.  This is my third transpacific flight and again I am amazed by the lack of turbulence (I hear it can be nasty, but my over the water flights seem smooth as silk).  Hmmm, 5.5/hrs into the flight and 4.25 to go, long flights sure are dull.  Still scared of flying, but this plane, crew, and champagne sure feel good and I had a great time talking with the crew as everyone else slept.  The flight crew was most attentive and polite, a real quality group.  If you want it, and Air New Zealand has it…it’s yours with a smile.  Air New Zealand is tops in our book. On final approach to Raro it got pretty bumpy, but the excitement on board kept anyone from noticing.  Landed at 3:00am, almost thirty minutes early, but had to wait in the plane for 15 minutes.  Our early arrival caught customs off guard (needed the drug dog?).  Landing at Rarotonga is funny, there are no taxiways or terminal ramps, nor much of a terminal.  We touched down, braked/rev thrust to a stop and waited wondering when the plane was going to take to something.  Next thing you know, there is a bump as someone pulls up the stairs, they open the door and out you go.  When the plane offloads/loads, it simply turns around on its own power and takes off the way it came (or as we found out later, depending on wind, it will taxi down the runway to the west and pull a wild "white-knuckle" 180 turn on a ridiculously narrow bubble at the end of the runway, and away it goes).  Customs was funny, an exceptionally large Maori woman asking over (and over, and over, etc….) "do you have any pills".  After thirteen or so "no we don’t(s)", she said "have a nice day".  Then  it was off to the Edgewater Resort  for a nap and shower before the next leg…… RAR-AIT;  May 15th;  Air Rarotonga #614;  Saab 340 Checked in at 9:45am.  Open-air terminal, extremely laid-back agent. One flaw…16kg checked and 5kg carry-on, strictly enforced! Rarotonga International Airport is truly one of the most beautiful in the world!  It tightly squeezed between the lagoon (quite narrow on the north end of the Island) and the mountains that rise immediately behind the runway.  Rarotonga is so small that the runway represents 20% or so the length of the islands longest axis.  At 10:00am our Saab arrived and quickly unloaded.  As we boarded what was obviously an ex-Air New Zealand plane, I noticed that it really showed it age, or should I say use.  This poor craft does RAR-AIT-RAR three times a day, six days a week with an eclectic mix of locals, tourists, workers (probably pigs and goats sometimes).  It is not only a passenger craft, but it is the main (and sometimes only) lifeline for Aitutaki as far as food, commercial goods, construction supplies, etc…go.  We taxied down the runway and did a wild U-turn at the west end, and the Saab roared like a raped-ape.  Maybe it’s me, but that damn plane was loud!  We climbed effortlessly to 14,000′, cruised for forty minutes or so (smooth as silk might I add).  They served a juice and some funky local roll.  Then we started our decent.  Whoaaa Baby!!!!  From the air, Aitutaki will take your breath away.  It is so amazing that you gasp as you remember to breathe again.  The lagoon is an explosion of turquoise, cyans, blues and greens in a deep cobalt ocean.  The ring of motus (appx 10km in diameter) truly makes up the "green necklace" that I’ve read about, but never dreamed of seeing.  Such beauty, I miss it so much…..  Anyhow, we landed on what appeared to be a crushed coral macadam-type runway (courtesy of the U.S.A.A.F. circa 1942, as are most runways in the Cooks) and pulled up to what can be best described as a small ramada, but the locals call it "the airport"  It was right out of "South Pacific" or something like that. Open-aired, dusty, humid & hot, a local in an old van to pick up what few tourists arrive, a woman in the middle selling coconut milk, quite charming. —a week in paradise goes by—- AIT-RAR;  May 22nd;  Air Rarotonga #615;  Saab 340 Arrived at 8:45am to an empty airport.  After hanging around for 5 minutes or so a local in a tank top and shorts came out of the woodwork and said "Say mate, what are you doing here"?  I replied that our flight left in 45 minutes.  He said "Naw mate, that flights been canceled"  (Funny to see these huge, mean-looking Maori speak in soft polite Kiwi accents).  Well, welcome to Cook Islands time, something we’d seen alot of in the last, and the next, week.  "Try again at 12:30, should have a plane by then".  So wait we did, but we can’t complain,  the ocean was a mere 200 yards north and the reef was extremely close there, so we poked around tidal pools and went shelling while we waited.  Finally signs of life at 10:30am, people started to show up and we were told that a plane would be leaving in about an hour.  Since the first flight was canceled, this one was 100% full.  I also watch 4 washers and dryers get loaded into the back.  We took of at 11:45pm and right away something seemed wrong.  The plane was struggling to get lift spending the first couple of miles at a mere 100-200′ agl all the time the engines changing pitch and the Saab rocking left & right, pitching up & down.  Even the flight attendant looked nervous.  After a few minutes of this the plane finally started ascending at what felt like an awfully slow climb rate.  The rest of the 45-minute flight was uneventful.  Landed in Rarotonga International at appx 12:35pm.  Looking back at the full load and extra cargo, I wonder if the plane behaved poorly at takeoff due to being overweight? —another week in paradise goes by— RAR-LAX;  May 29th;  Air New Zealand #54;  767-300ER Arrived at Rarotonga International a mere 45 minutes before the flight (12:30am) thanks to our transfer company forgetting about us, even though we confirmed 12 hours earlier.  No worries though, the line at the counter was still 10 minutes thick.  We checked in and headed for our departure area (they don’t have gates).  When we were ready to go through security we noticed a sign saying "have your passport, boarding pass, and departure tax stamp ready".  Departure Tax Stamp????  Oops, forgot about it and made a quick run to the departure tax stamp booth.  We had to pay $25.00nzd each for the honor of departing the Cook Islands, strange, but what the heck….  At 1:00am we boarded the plane, another very nice looking 767-300.  It didn’t take but fifteen minutes to board and we took of on time at 1:15am. We spun around on the planes power, taxied to the west end on the runway, pulled another wild 180-degree turn and took of to the east. Again I am impressed by the power of a 767, sure seems to "leap" off the ground with the greatest of ease.  And again, Air New Zealand is pure class when it comes to service.  We had another really good airline meal within about 45 minutes after takeoff.  Of course I took full advantage of the all you can drink policy and went after the champagne.  The movie was first rate, "Proof of Life".  By the time the movie was over it was about 4:30am and the whole plane went to sleep including flight crew and staff taking turns in their "sleeping cabins".  I mostly read and chewed the fat with a German tourist that I ran into a dozen times in the Cooks.  Later on while the rest of the plane was sleeping I had a conversation with the lead flight … read more »

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> Trip Report (my first, bear with me…)

Pretty darned good. > TUS-LAX-RAR-AIT-RAR-LAX-TUS

But don’t expect much respoect from envoius folks like me, you lucky bastard. Some guts you have to go have fun in the south pacific and then brag about it I also agree about Air NZ being a very fine airline. Kiwis are generally excellent hosts.

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