Flying from Auckland to Napier with Mt Cook/Air New Zealand Link

An ATR-72 Air NZ aircraft. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The plane: An ATR 72.

Airport experience: An unexpected Herald online reunion at the check-in desk, where we met a Napier-native colleague, headed home for a long weekend, and a friend and former colleague, who was South Island-bound. Both were travelling with their kids, who are similar ages to ours, but we were off on our first child-free break since becoming parents and it felt rather odd not having our own preschoolers underfoot.

My seat: 12D. Near the back, on the starboard side of the plane.

Price: We booked late and paid $159 one way. You can get tickets for $59 one way.

How full? Chocka, as far as I could see.

On time: A few minutes delayed at take-off.

Other passengers: A relaxed bunch. This was a Saturday flight so people heading away for pleasure, rather than business, appeared to be in the majority.

Views: A beautiful, clear early-autumn day allowed great views of the central North Island.

I spared a brief thought for the hardy souls tackling the Ironman as we flew over Lake Taupo, but as we crossed the Kaweka Range and Napier came into view, my thoughts turned to the Hawke's Bay foodie odyssey ahead of us.

Entertainment: Kia Ora magazine ... and taking in the views.

Luggage: We were allowed a checked bag each but they were under 7kg, so we brought them aboard as hand luggage. There's not a great deal of compartment space in these planes so if you do stow your bag under the seat in front you'll be restricting your leg-stretching ability even further.

Crew: Friendly — and calm in a potential crisis, as was about to become apparent.

Take two: Things were a little bumpy on descent, but I've been on the last plane allowed to land at Wellington Airport before it was closed due to weather conditions in the past, so I wasn't unduly concerned.

The fence that separates the runway from the surrounding land was looming large out my window and the wheels were down but it became apparent this landing wasn't going 100 per cent to plan. We were coming in pretty fast and one wheel did make contact with the runway ... but at exactly the same moment, the plane was buffeted by a crosswind which pivoted its nose towards that boundary fence on the right. The throttle kicked in and we were back into a steep climb, banking sharply over Bluff Hill and then bouncing over the Pacific as we lined up for a second attempt. The crew was taken by surprise but one of them was on the PA system even as we were climbing to apologise for the "challenging conditions" and assure passengers that "these things happen sometimes".

As we came in for the second time we were all watching the fast-approaching land and trying not to grip the armrests. It was still bumpy and there was relief as we touched down successfully.

I thought the pilot deserved a round of applause but none was forthcoming, though one person was heard to mutter that we'd have been diverted to Palmy if we still hadn't been able to land — we Kiwis are a staunch lot.

Would I fly again: Despite the hairy go-around, yes. A one-hour flight versus a five-hour-plus car trip is a no-brainer if you've only got a weekend to spare.