Well, it would be sunny if it wasn’t 8.30 at night and pitch black (not to mention it being 30 degrees (86 in old money))!! We have successfully made it through the first two of our flights, with just the minor matter of a 14-hour or so flight from here to London still to go!!

The day started early with us getting up at just after 5am to do the final bits and pieces of packing before our lift arrived to take us to the airport. (Very big ‘thank you’s to Uncle Paul and Auntie Rachel who got up at stupid-o’clock in the morning to come and get us!)

Air New Zealand were their usual unhelpful selves. In order to make sure everything was going to work smoothly Kate had specifically checked with both the Air New Zealand travel centre and the Air New Zealand call centre that we would be able to take the car seat onto the plane with us for Isabel (that is, after all, why we paid extra for a child ticket) and she also had some pages from the Air NZ web-site clearly stating that if you were taking an infant on an Air NZ flight you were welcome to take a car seat on with you. However, the lady at the check-in desk had other ideas and refused not only to let us take the car seat on the plane with us, but also made us check in the baby rucksack meaning we had to carry Isabel to the departure gate. Luckily this isn’t very far, and we didn’t have to wait long to board.

Fortunately, the Singapore airlines people could not have been more helpful when we checked in at Auckland. They said that of course we could take the car seat on the plane with us and that, although we would need to check-in the rucksack, we could take this up to the gate and hand it in as we boarded the plane. Hoorah!

So here we are in Singapore airport at 8.45pm local time awaiting our 11.20pm flight on to London. We’re all a bit tired, and very hot and sweaty, and it looks like the girls are both developing a fine line in snotty noses!

For those of you in the UK see you soon. For those of you elsewhere in the world see you next time.

PS the Hurricanes have won both their last games, so are still well placed in second place on the table. I don’t want to jinx them, but it’s looking good for a semi-final place at this stage. Fingers crossed.