Wheels Up for New Zealand 2026

I started my trip to New Zealand on Saturday, February 21, flying out of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Airport, which is the closest airport to my new home in Lake City. This was my first time inside the Gunnison airport and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it is for such a small airport.

Unfortunately, the incoming plane for my flight from Gunnison to Denver was significantly delayed. I eventually made it to Denver but missed my connection to San Francisco. I was able to rebook on the next flight to San Francisco with just enough time to make my connection to Auckland. But, when my takeoff from Denver was also significantly delayed, things weren’t looking so good. Fortunately, my pilot flew fast and made up for lost time. I boarded my scheduled connection for Auckland just in time and settled in for the 13 hour flight. Sadly, I didn’t get upgraded but I did have a bulkhead seat with plenty of legroom. Whew!

I’m used to traveling light, with only carry-on bags and nothing to declare. This trip, however, was different. In addition to my typical carry-on bags, I checked a big suitcase full of backpacking gear. And, because it included things like tents and hiking shoes, I had to declare them and go through additional baggage screening after picking my luggage up from Baggage Claim. It took me more than an hour and a half to get through customs…. But I made it!

My travel partner, Mary Kay, flew in on a different airline but landed in Auckland approximately the same time I did. She also had hiking gear to declare but by the time Mary Kay deplaned and collected her bags, the declarations line was down to just a few people. It’s a good thing or we might have missed our connection to Nelson! With our luggage in tow, we made our way from Auckland’s International Terminal to the Domestic Terminal where we boarded our 90 minute flight to Nelson.

I arrived in Nelson, New Zealand almost 27 hours after taking off from Gunnison, Colorado. Exhausted but happy to have made it!

You can view the Wheels Up for New Zealand 2026 trip page to see all my blog posts, photos, and Wanderlog info.