After a great 3 nights spent visiting Auckland and previously before that 5 nights visiting Sydney in Australia it was unfortunately time to leave New Zealand and start heading back to the UK. When I originally booked this trip, I had multiple options to get back to the UK from New Zealand. They were via the Middle East via a hub like Doha or back the way I came via Southeast Asia via a hub like Singapore. I choose a different option over the Pacific and via Los Angeles. This route meant I got to fly with Air New Zealand, the second flight from LAX to Heathrow was with British Airways.
During my stay in Auckland, I stayed at the Travelodge in the Wynyard Quarter. This was about a 15-minute walk from Waitemata train station. It takes about an hour to get to/from the airport from the city using the southern line train and Airport bus via Puhinui train station. The bus operates from both international and domestic terminals. Although I arrived early, my flight was at 20.15 on 4/5/26 and I arrived around 15.00 but I was able to check in with Air New Zealand. I was only able to check in at the airport though and not online and I wasn't able to preselect my seat as I booked through British Airways which meant I got assigned a middle seat and was unable to change it.
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Security and passport control were quick, and you walk via a duty-free shop into a central concourse where there are food and shopping outlets. Auckland isn’t a large major airport, although it is New Zealand’s biggest airport which saw 18.9 million passengers use it in 2025. The gate for my flight was Gate 9 but I had to wait for a while until it was called but there are plenty of seating areas and I was able to watch the sun go down. Many of the US bound flights seemed to be departing around the same time and from the same pier. My flight was NZ06 and the aircraft was ZK-OKP a 14-year-old Boeing 777-300er. This was one of Air New Zealand own 777s and not a former Cathay Pacific one of which they have several.
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Boarding was delayed (departure was 25 minutes late) but they did start boarding Business Class and Premium. Economy was boarded by rows from the back and as I was in 36F I was among the last to board, but it did mean I got an extra legroom seat and was among the first economy passengers to deboard in Los Angeles. The flight eventually departed at 20.40 and we departed on runway 5 and started the 11 and half hour’s flight over the Pacific Ocean.
Service started about 1 hour into the flight with dinner. Dinner was beef stroganoff with mash potato, some sort of couscous salad, a garlic bread roll, a pretzel type snack and ice cream for dessert which was more a soft ice cream by the time I got to eat it. Soft drinks, tea and coffee and alcohol were also served. The meal overall was tasty. After the meal was cleared, I settled down and watched a couple of films before watching on the flight map our aircraft cross the international date line and travel back in time. After that I tried but failed to sleep. I couldn't get comfortable in the seat and wasn’t able to dose off at all. I did notice in the night though that the crew regularly came around offering water to the passengers who were awake.
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After a long night the cabin lights came on and the crew served breakfast. Breakfast consisted of an omelette with chicken sausage, baked beans and spinach as well as fruit, yogurt and a warm muffin. Drinks were served and I had apple juice. The breakfast wasn’t as good as the previous meal. The omelette didn’t really seem like an omelette, and I didn’t like the spinach. The rest of the breakfast did taste good though. Eventually the flight came to an end, and we approached and landed at LAX airport. Being in the middle of the aircraft though meant I didn’t get much of a landing view as we landed on runway 25L and then taxied to the Tom Bradley International terminal.
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My next flight was with British Airways to London Heathrow but before that I had to go through US passport control, pick my baggage up, go through US customs and then drop may checked bag off again. This took about an hour and then I was through to the terminal and was able to make my way to my gate, gate 153. My flight was BA282 and was operated by G-STBA a 15-year-old 777 300er. This was a recently refurbished cabin as it had the new Club World product, which looks a big improvement. The flight was due to depart at 15.40 but didn’t depart until 16.15 on 4/5/26 on runway 25R. We headed out over the Pacific Ocean and then turned back and flew over Los Angeles, Nevada, the US Midwest then eventually over Canada and Greenland on this 10-hour flight.
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There was a drink service with a snack of pretzels first and then the crew served the main meal which consisted of a chicken curry with rice, a shredded vegetable salad, a bread roll, cheese and crackers and a cheesecake for dessert. It was accompanied by a bottle of water as well as a drink service of soft drinks, tea and coffee and alcohol. After the meal I watched some movies on the IFE and tried but failed to get some sleep as the sun set. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get comfortable and get any sleep. After a long night in which the crew came around with water several times the cabin lights were turned on, and breakfast was served as we approached Ireland. The breakfast I choose was the traditional breakfast which had sausage, bacon, egg, potato rosti, mushrooms and tomato. It also included fruit and a muffin as well as a drink which was apple juice for me.
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After a long flight we started to approach Heathrow but also had to go into a hold for a while due to traffic but eventually landed on runway 9L and then taxied to a remote stand where we were bussed to the terminal. Passport control was quick but unfortunately, I discovered that my luggage hadn’t been loaded on my flight, it made the next LA flight and BA did deliver it next day to my house in Leeds and this did mean I didn’t have to deal with checking in my luggage for my next flight to Manchester and the train back to Leeds.
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Overall, both flights were pretty good apart from the seats, they were uncomfortable on both flights, and I didn’t sleep for over 24 hours. Food wise I’d say British Airways breakfast was better than Air New Zealand, but I enjoyed both main dinners. The IFE on both airlines was decent though BAs system seemed a bit more modern. I would fly on both airlines again in the future.
I enjoyed the whole trip to Australia and New Zealand they are amazing countries to visit, but when I do it again it is likely that I’ll stop on the way or on the way back and overnight in transit especially on the way back and avoid the back to back long haul flights which took me 3 days to get over on the way back.
During my stay in Auckland, I stayed at the Travelodge in the Wynyard Quarter. This was about a 15-minute walk from Waitemata train station. It takes about an hour to get to/from the airport from the city using the southern line train and Airport bus via Puhinui train station. The bus operates from both international and domestic terminals. Although I arrived early, my flight was at 20.15 on 4/5/26 and I arrived around 15.00 but I was able to check in with Air New Zealand. I was only able to check in at the airport though and not online and I wasn't able to preselect my seat as I booked through British Airways which meant I got assigned a middle seat and was unable to change it.
View media item 19750
Security and passport control were quick, and you walk via a duty-free shop into a central concourse where there are food and shopping outlets. Auckland isn’t a large major airport, although it is New Zealand’s biggest airport which saw 18.9 million passengers use it in 2025. The gate for my flight was Gate 9 but I had to wait for a while until it was called but there are plenty of seating areas and I was able to watch the sun go down. Many of the US bound flights seemed to be departing around the same time and from the same pier. My flight was NZ06 and the aircraft was ZK-OKP a 14-year-old Boeing 777-300er. This was one of Air New Zealand own 777s and not a former Cathay Pacific one of which they have several.
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Boarding was delayed (departure was 25 minutes late) but they did start boarding Business Class and Premium. Economy was boarded by rows from the back and as I was in 36F I was among the last to board, but it did mean I got an extra legroom seat and was among the first economy passengers to deboard in Los Angeles. The flight eventually departed at 20.40 and we departed on runway 5 and started the 11 and half hour’s flight over the Pacific Ocean.
Service started about 1 hour into the flight with dinner. Dinner was beef stroganoff with mash potato, some sort of couscous salad, a garlic bread roll, a pretzel type snack and ice cream for dessert which was more a soft ice cream by the time I got to eat it. Soft drinks, tea and coffee and alcohol were also served. The meal overall was tasty. After the meal was cleared, I settled down and watched a couple of films before watching on the flight map our aircraft cross the international date line and travel back in time. After that I tried but failed to sleep. I couldn't get comfortable in the seat and wasn’t able to dose off at all. I did notice in the night though that the crew regularly came around offering water to the passengers who were awake.
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After a long night the cabin lights came on and the crew served breakfast. Breakfast consisted of an omelette with chicken sausage, baked beans and spinach as well as fruit, yogurt and a warm muffin. Drinks were served and I had apple juice. The breakfast wasn’t as good as the previous meal. The omelette didn’t really seem like an omelette, and I didn’t like the spinach. The rest of the breakfast did taste good though. Eventually the flight came to an end, and we approached and landed at LAX airport. Being in the middle of the aircraft though meant I didn’t get much of a landing view as we landed on runway 25L and then taxied to the Tom Bradley International terminal.
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My next flight was with British Airways to London Heathrow but before that I had to go through US passport control, pick my baggage up, go through US customs and then drop may checked bag off again. This took about an hour and then I was through to the terminal and was able to make my way to my gate, gate 153. My flight was BA282 and was operated by G-STBA a 15-year-old 777 300er. This was a recently refurbished cabin as it had the new Club World product, which looks a big improvement. The flight was due to depart at 15.40 but didn’t depart until 16.15 on 4/5/26 on runway 25R. We headed out over the Pacific Ocean and then turned back and flew over Los Angeles, Nevada, the US Midwest then eventually over Canada and Greenland on this 10-hour flight.
View media item 19759
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There was a drink service with a snack of pretzels first and then the crew served the main meal which consisted of a chicken curry with rice, a shredded vegetable salad, a bread roll, cheese and crackers and a cheesecake for dessert. It was accompanied by a bottle of water as well as a drink service of soft drinks, tea and coffee and alcohol. After the meal I watched some movies on the IFE and tried but failed to get some sleep as the sun set. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get comfortable and get any sleep. After a long night in which the crew came around with water several times the cabin lights were turned on, and breakfast was served as we approached Ireland. The breakfast I choose was the traditional breakfast which had sausage, bacon, egg, potato rosti, mushrooms and tomato. It also included fruit and a muffin as well as a drink which was apple juice for me.
View media item 19761
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After a long flight we started to approach Heathrow but also had to go into a hold for a while due to traffic but eventually landed on runway 9L and then taxied to a remote stand where we were bussed to the terminal. Passport control was quick but unfortunately, I discovered that my luggage hadn’t been loaded on my flight, it made the next LA flight and BA did deliver it next day to my house in Leeds and this did mean I didn’t have to deal with checking in my luggage for my next flight to Manchester and the train back to Leeds.
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Overall, both flights were pretty good apart from the seats, they were uncomfortable on both flights, and I didn’t sleep for over 24 hours. Food wise I’d say British Airways breakfast was better than Air New Zealand, but I enjoyed both main dinners. The IFE on both airlines was decent though BAs system seemed a bit more modern. I would fly on both airlines again in the future.
I enjoyed the whole trip to Australia and New Zealand they are amazing countries to visit, but when I do it again it is likely that I’ll stop on the way or on the way back and overnight in transit especially on the way back and avoid the back to back long haul flights which took me 3 days to get over on the way back.
