Wellington Airport at Christmas – where people land and take off to reunite with their families and loved ones and share in the spirit of the season.
A place where tears are shed and boredom’s bred, and one has to consider taking out a second mortgage or signing away their first-born child to pay for parking. (And let's not talk about the food.)
When The Wireless decided to send me there on Christmas Eve to speak to people as they embarked on their travels, I was more than sceptical.
All I could think about was that cheesy scene from that god-awful movie Love Actually, where Hugh Grant remarks that the arrival gate at Heathrow is his favourite place because of all the love and stuff…it’s enough to make you sick.
But as much as it pains me to say this, Hugh Grant has a point. The people I found at the airport were genuine and excited for their trips and reunions and I couldn’t help but feel excited for them. Here’s their stories (It still doesn't make Love Actually a good movie.)
Photo: Unknown
Prafull Thakur is brimming with such excitement he can’t sit down as I ask him where he’s travelling. “I’m very, very, very excited,” he says, as he talks about his family trip to Hong Kong.
“It’s the first time I will have seen [my extended family] in 7 years.”
And it’s a big reunion that he has ahead of him. His wife, Manisha’s parents are there waiting alongside uncles, cousins and other relatives. There’s also family travelling from India to join the reunion. “It’s going to be a good time,” he says.
Prafull Thakar, with Ashwyn,4 (L) and Ayush,7 (R) Photo: Diego Opatowski
Young couple Adam Mattsen and Kate Pepper are 1 week into their 3 week 'return to New Zealand' tour when they’re interrupted by a pesky reporter at the airport.
The pair have been living in Western Australia for a year, where Adam’s a mine geologist and Kate a receptionist at a Kalgoorlie hotel.
They’re heading to Nelson to spend time with Adam’s family and go camping on the West Coast, having spent the past few days staying with Kate’s family in the Wairarapa.
“We’ve had a lot of catching up with friends to do, especially around Wellington.” (They studied in the capital.)
Adam Mattsen and Kate Pepper Photo: Diego Opatowski
Kelly Johnston is mid-way through his journey from Christchurch to New Plymouth where his family will meet 15-month-old Cole for the first time.
It’s also Cole’s first flight, which Kelly says went pretty well as he slept for most of the journey.
Kelly says all his family, except his mum, haven’t met Cole yet and his brothers are flying in for an “epic” few days at home in Taranaki.
Kelly Johnston with 15-month old Cole Photo: Diego Opatowski
While it may have been Cole’s first flight, 1-year-old Lillian Cavanugh’s a seasoned flyer, with mum Sharee and dad Jimmy guessing it’s possibly her 30th.
The Cavanugh’s are having lunch on the terminal floor before jetting up to Whangarei to spend six days with Sharee’s parents for Christmas.
On the way back down, they’ll be stopping by Auckland to catch up with a few friends and to meet their new niece.
Sharee and Jimmy Cavanugh with 1-year-old Lillian Photo: Diego Opatowski
I seem to have popped in at the right time for flights to Nelson as this is also where Margaret and Terry Hore are heading to gather with their family for Christmas – all 17 of them.
“It’s all our family in New Zealand coming down,” she says.
A married daughter, her husband and 2 kids, a son and his wife and 4 kids. Their other daughter is coming down from Pukeura Bay too.
“We’ve still got 2 daughters in Australia and 1 in Thailand, but we’re still really looking forward to it.”
Margaret and Terry Hore Photo: Diego Opatowski
It’s a much smaller affair for Briar Campbell though, who is also heading to Nelson to see her sister and brother-in-law, as well as a couple of nieces.
It’s a small gathering, and they’re going to do some camping at Totaranui, although the pre-Christmas weather in Wellington has made her slightly nervous about it all.
Briar Campbell Photo: Diego Opatowski
