With the horrible weather being experienced in New Zealand's North Island because of cyclone Pam, the West Indies team decided to take the five-hour bus drive from Napier to Wellington, where they will play their ICC 2015 World Cup quarter-final clash against hosts New Zealand on Friday night.
However, the road trip decision had more to do than just the bad weather, it was all about men not wanting to fly into Wellington Airport, one of the world's dangerous landing scene. Wellington is the sixth most dangerous airport in the world. And the West Indies team had a first hand experience of this the last time they had a bi-lateral series in New Zealand with a single, short, 6,351-foot runway that appears to begin and end in crystal blue waters. It is easy to see why flying into Wellington may make you uneasy. To those who call it home, flying into Wellington is a joy, but it is not for the faint at heart. Sometimes the danger approaches just when it is almost time to disembark.
Added to this, the wind factor can be another horrible experience for travellers and this is what was experienced by the West Indies back in 2013. The pilot flying both the West Indies and New Zealand teams from Dunedin to Wellington had to abandon one landing attempt before getting both teams down safely. This was due to high winds.
West Indies captain at the time Darren Sammy, who does not like flying, had a horrific time and called his wife on the phone on landing and told her not to come to Wellington but go to another city and he would meet her there.
Sammy had vowed never to fly into Wellington again and he kept to his word on Monday. According to reports from New Zealand back then, other members of the West Indies team were also shaken up by the experience and some New Zealanders on the same flight were quoted as saying it was one of the roughest they had known.
"Most of our guys were a bit terrified, but hopefully the (Basin Reserve) pitch is not as terrifying as the landing. I was once on a flight like that where one of the engines broke down and that was when I developed my fear of flying," said Sammy.
"I was screaming like my daughter. I'm definitely taking the bus next time. I don't mind the ferry. My wife was due to fly into that (Wellington) airport, I told her no chance so she's going to do Sydney-Auckland not Sydney-Wellington. Not a chance."
West Indies coach at the time Ottis Gibson has described the experience as 'scary' and 'terrifying' and said his players have now recovered. "I don't suppose anything can prepare you for that. It was a little bit scary, I've experienced it before myself in South Africa. There were a few fingernails chewed down to the bitter end," said Gibson.
So on Monday it was on the bus for a five-hour long journey from Napier to Wellington.