Steven Robertson, 80, was last in New Zealand about 35 years ago and always wanted to return — this time with his son and daughter-in-law, Josh and Lindsay, his daughter and son-in-law Jessica Robertson-Baird and Cameron Baird, and his five grandchildren Emmie, Beckett, and Parker Robertson, and Liam and Holden Baird.
The family, from Oregon, flew into Wellington this week, spending three nights there.
They arrived in Queenstown yesterday afternoon — on Air New Zealand’s busiest day of the year — where they will spend the next three nights before flying out to Sydney, Australia.
Mr Robertson senior’s family has never been to New Zealand before, while it is also his first visit to the resort, with plans for jetboating and a scenic helicopter tour during their stay.
Mrs Robertson said so far the only thing the group of 10 had lost was Mr Robertson senior’s cellphone, which appeared to have gone missing between the plane and Queenstown Airport baggage carousel.
In a statement, Air New Zealand said Queenstown was New Zealand’s most popular domestic destination this summer, outside the main centres, with 250,000 customers to fly to the holiday hotspot over December and January.
Those passengers will almost certainly help Queenstown Airport achieve a record-breaking 12 months.
Between January and November, 2,317,687 passengers moved through the airport — 813,894 of those international passengers and the remaining 1,503,793 domestic — that is just under 93,000 short of the total number of passengers through the airport during the 2023 calendar year.
Queenstown Airport chief executive Glen Sowry said the airport systems were operating ‘‘near capacity’’ yesterday and the terminal was bustling.
‘‘We’re pleased to see our visitors and community taking our advice to add a little extra time to check in, drop [their] bag, clear security and get [relaxed] before getting on [their] plane.’’
Air New Zealand said Dunedin was also proving a popular destination, with over 120,000 people expected to travel to and from the city in December and January.
