At the end of January, we'd just dropped our eldest at Otago University and were talking about how very much of the south island we hadn't seen: The Abel Tasman, Fiordland/Milford Sound, Stewart Island, Hokitika Gorge, Mount Cook, etc. We were looking forward to visiting her and exploring over the next three years.
In February, Jetstar announced a sale so I looked at the calendar; the next public holiday was the Queen's birthday in June, so I booked two tickets to Queenstown. I hadn't realised that Queenstown was a popular ski destination or that the Queen's birthday usually marks the start of the ski season. (Southern hemisphere, remember.)
I mention that because, just like Fleetwood Mac last year (where I booked the tickets only to find the airfare had gone from it's usual $200/seat to $800/seat), after I booked the plane tickets I discovered I couldn't find a hotel! I eventually found an Airbnb outside of Queenstown that was ok.
A few weeks later, Jetstar sent an email that they'd changed my flight: It was no longer a one-hour direct flight from Wellington, but instead it was now an 8-hour flight that connected in Auckland (the opposite direction)!! I called them to cancel* but the rep explained they had reduced their flights on Saturdays and Tuesdays (the days I'd booked) but he could shift me one day earlier, Friday to Monday, and I could fly direct. Thankfully, the Airbnb was also able to move my reservation, so we were fine. (I'd booked a bus ticket for my eldest to visit us and I lost $5 in moving that reservation.)
Of course, a few weeks later New Zealand went into lockdown and all flights through the end of May were cancelled. My flight to Queenstown was today, May 29, and was cancelled. My flight to Wellington was on June 2, and was not cancelled. This put me in a very weird position, but again a call to Jetstar got it sorted. (They even gave me a full refund even though they were only obligated to give me a voucher.)
I was able to cancel the Airbnb but again lost $5 on the bus ticket. However, I would have lost that anyway, as my eldest had decided she didn't like Otago and had moved back to Wellington! Which makes me wonder if we'll ever get back to the south island...
Now that we're home for the long weekend, I had nothing better to do than look up the rules for Queen's birthday. (Hard to believe it's been 10 years since I last discussed it: https://cayankee.blogspot.com/2010/04/queen.html)
As the story goes, In 1748 George II wanted a public celebration for his birthday, but November** in the UK isn't particularly pleasant, so he combined his "official" birthday with a military parade that took place each summer. This tradition carried on, although the date often moved. George VI (born December 14) celebrated his birthday on the second Thursday of June. Queen Elizabeth (April 21) originally kept the same day as her father, but in 1959 changed it to the second Saturday of June. (Since it is not a public holiday in the UK, and the military parade through London can be quite disruptive, moving it to Saturday was a good idea.)
As the UK empire transitioned to the Commonwealth, member countries still celebrated the Queen's official birthday but often changed the date! Although it is not a a public holiday in the UK, it is in many of the member countries, so they often celebrate on the first Monday after the second Saturday in June, but there are many exceptions:
- In New Zealand, it's the first Monday in June.
- In Australia, most states observe it on the second Monday in June but Western Australia usually celebrates it at the end of September and in 2016, for no reason whatsoever, Queensland moved it to the first Monday of October.
- Norfolk Island, part of Australia, celebrates on the Monday after the second Saturday in June, which may be different than the second Monday in June!
- In Canada, it was established in 1845 and celebrated on the actual birthday (May 24 for Queen Victoria, November 9 for Edward VII, June 3 for George V, June 23 for Edward VIII) then it floated between 20 May and 14 June for George VI. In 1952, when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne, it was moved to the last Monday before 25 May, which was closer to the original date for Queen Victoria.
- The Falkland Islands celebrate it on April 21 (her actual birthday).
- Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha celebrate it on the third Monday in April.
- Bermuda celebrates it on the third Monday in June, but in 2008 they renamed it "National Heroes Day."
By the way, the military parade ("Trooping the Colour") has been cancelled this year because of Covid-19. The last time it was cancelled was 1955, due to a national rail strike. Apart from that, the Queen has taken the salute every year since 1951. (Her father, George VI, was ill that year so she took it in his place; he died the following year.)
Prince Charles (14 November) will likely continue the tradition of holding his official birthday in June, but Prince William (21 June) may change it.
* I later learned that I had no basis for demanding a refund from Jetstar. In most countries, the "conditions of carriage" say the airline has to transport you from point A to point B roughly within the stated timeline, or you're owed a refund. In New Zealand, the rules only say that have to transport you from point A to point B, with no regard for timeline, so changing from a 1-hour flight to an 8-hour flight was perfectly acceptable!
** During his reign, Britain switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, which were 10 days apart, so his birthday is given as both October 30 and 9 November.
