Day 2 – The Longest Day Pt2

Part 2: London to Llanbradoch

Ystrad Mynach park

This year, for the Evanses its not the 22^nd June that’s officially the longest day but rather today.

Nicholas and I have spent the past 12 hours on board CX243. We began the day, just after midnight, in Hong Kong its now a little after 5am local time and with the rest of the day ahead of us we make our bleary way through the labyrinth that is Heathrow Airport.

We’ve totaled up the travelling as there is little else to do while we wait for our luggage to appear.

Napier to Auckland	1 hour
Waiting	3 hours
Auckland to Hong Kong	11 hours
Waiting	4 hours
Hong Kong to London	12 hours
London to Llanbadoch	2.5 hours
Total	33.5 hours

Is it really any wonder Nicholas fell asleep in the car on the way to Wales?

We arrive at Mum’s, or Nan’s depending on who you’re speaking to. Nicholas is now bright as a button and ready for action. Simon, on the other hand is seriously flagging now.

But when sleep won’t come what’s the alternative? Fresh air and sunshine. And Ystrad Mynach park has it in spades.

Nicholas loved the park, the swings and the climbing frame particularly. Just what’s in order after 33 hours of confinement. That and a quality game of hide and seek with Nan.

The name Ystrad Mynach, in Welsh, refers to the wide, flat bottomed valley which would be subject to periodic flooding. The valley in this instance, was originally heavily farmed and very profitable for decades. But then came the industrial revelation and huge engineering works appeared, supporting the fledging coal mining of the valleys. It changed the nature of the community. Population increased, low cost terraced housing began to dominate the narrow roadsides and valley walls. Progress it would appear. So it remained for the much of the 20^th century until the coal industry in Wales began to dwindle, out priced by cheapening transportation bringing cheapening coal for far flung places. The town began to spiral downward. Off spring moving away, seeking education and opportunity, fewer and fewer returning to their roots. Until central government funding for conservation and preservation kicked in and community engagement programmes encouraged the regeneration of the area from the mid 90’s.

Here we are. Relaxing at Nan’s. If there’s one person who likes playing lego and crawling around on the floor as much as Nicholas, its Nan.

Day 1 - So it begins

Napier to Hong Kong

8am Napier Airport

Napier Airport was originally an aerodrome, a giant reminder of which appears out of the gloomy morning. An ancient fixed winged aircraft is pictured beside a shack, a small crowd awaiting departure. The shack is labeled. “Koru lounge” ^[1] it reads.

10,000 people arrived on the morning of June 1932 to witness the opening of Napier Areodrome.

A similar crowd witnessed the arrival of Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, a month later, in the “Southern Cross” ^[2] to mark the opening of the “New Napier Carnival”, hosted by the aerodrome. This was said to mark a beginning of a great era for Napier and the wider Hawkes Bay.

But it was not until 1964 when Sir Hector McGregor ^[3]  formly opened Hawkes Bay Airport.

Now here we are 50 years later awaiting the first of our three flights taking us to London via Auckland and Hong Kong. We feel quite fortunate to discover we are able to check our 18.5kg luggage here and, fingers crossed we’ll see it when we land in Blighty 33 hours from now.

10 am Auckland Airport

Compared to Napier, Auckland is a sprawling metropolis. The day is a little overcast and as we make our way along the footpath it threatens to rain. We don’t mind. I like the walk, appreciate it for what it is… the last stretch of the legs before cattle class. And Nicholas doesn’t mind either, he’s riding along on the baggage trolley.

I’m not sure how the conversation started. I think Nicholas asked about the difference between our passports or maybe I was telling him the close shave I had with getting the passport and visa returned to me in time. Either way, it ended with a rather loud remark from Nicholas about how I’ll be nearly fifty in ten years time, how old I’ll be, how I’ll be ripe for playing Santa at school with my own big white beard and bushy eyebrows.

I only acted shocked and appalled. Really I don’t mind. There is small group of expectant, nervous travellers smiling and giggling along with the conversation.

Soon we are in conversation with Ryan, a nineteen year old boyfriend heading to Hong Kong to meet the potential in-laws. He wears an open smile and a Superman T-shirt not dissimilar from the one Nicholas has, minus the red undies outside his pants.

We spend a few minutes talking about how far Hong Kong is. How long the flight will be, some 9,178km! Is that most of the way? England is reported as being 12,000km, two thirds at least. This is good news. Surely.

But a little  I check on the inflight map and much of the journey is North and North-West. We’ll still have quite a way to go from Hong Kong.

Aircraft Stats

	Napier - Auckland	Auckland – Hong Kong	Hong Kong – London
Aircraft	Q300	Airbus A340-300	Boeing 777-300ER
Length	25.68 m	63.6 m	73.9 m
Wingspan	27.43 m	60.3 m	64.8 m
Passenger seating range	50–56	295	451
Typical cruise speed	528 km/h	881 km/h	905 km/h
Takeoff run	1,178 m	3,050 m	3,050 m
Range	2,034 km	17,000 km	14,690 km
Crew	2	2	2

^[1] The Koru Lounge is the name for Air New Zealand's network of domestic airline lounges in New Zealand.

^[2] Southern Cross is the name of the Fokker F.VIIb/3m trimotor monoplane which in 1928 was flown by Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew in the first ever trans-Pacific flight to Australia from the mainland United States, about 7,250 miles (11,670 km).

^[3] Air Marshal Sir Hector Douglas McGregor, KCB, CBE, DSO, RAF, (15 February 1910 – 11 April 1973) was a senior Royal Air Force commander.

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