going home...
Waking up at 2 AM and with an outside temperature of -3°C it was time to catch a flight back to Australia. Through customs at Christchurch International and a short wait, then on the plane to watch the wings be de-iced. Takeoff and into the dark sky to watch a slow motion 3 hour sunrise on the way to Sydney.
I'm starting to like flying at night - I find it very relaxing (especially when you've had very little sleep), whereas flights during the day are energy-draining.
Approaching Sydney, the sun just climbing over the horizon, tiny crystals on the windows came alive as frozen orange sparks. After landing and making our way through immigration and then underground to the Domestic terminal it wasn't long before boarding started for the flight back to the bay. Having spent the holiday in the consistently cold environment of New Zealand, stepping off the plane here was like being dropped into the middle of the Sahara - it was hot, but it was nice to be back.