Travel day to Cairns Australia

Wow... Today was HORRIBLE! 
1. Had to walk 4 blocks with suitcases and backpacks and extra bags to the square in town where shuttles sit and wait for people like us. We were already running a little behind schedule so we were stressing trying to find a shuttle. Found one... $7 each.
3. Get to the Christchurch,NZ airport which is USUALLY empty... ohhh but not today! Got to a longggg line for checkin and the lady told us our bags were too heavy. So... We took a bunch of stuff out and put them in our carry on. So our at first light backpacks were then overflowing. Then after that ordeal and holding up the line, she precedes to tell us we have to go to the bank in the airport and pay a $25 dollar tax to leave the country! Thanks new zealand, that was a nice going away present! So we walk over and the line is literally 50 people long. Ok so at this point we are fussing and whining to the poor "bloke" who got stuck behind us in line. He told me most airports include the tax in your ticket fee but not new Zealand! So I told him that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard because now they are wasting peoples time, causing congestion at the airport, and they have to hire more employees to take the tax which is a waste of their money. His response was, new Zealand is a few steps behind, clearly. Ok so we paid.... $25.
3. Get to customs, no complications
4. Sit at our gate forever because it was late so we met a kiwi and a British person while sitting at the gate. The kiwi informs us that we will be cutting it close to get our flight from sydney to cairns and then both tell us our hotel in sydney is a bit dodgey, meaning filthy, gross, below par. Ok great!
5. Get on the plane and it was great, we love emirates. Except for the fact that dinner was duck and shredded lamb. 
6. Dart off the plane and go to baggage, when I say our bags were one of the last I am not exaggerating. Ok now on to customs... They make us give them our hiking boots so they could spray and wash them because they had grass on them! So that was an unexpected delay. Then the man starts talking to us about Boston and his family and what not and we were in a huge hurry!
7. Check in time. Probably the worst part of our day! Get to the counter and Anthony and mark the worst virgin blue representative ever make everything difficult for us. Anthony tells us our bags are over weight and we will have to pay $10 per kilo which meant $70 each! Oh and he adds in that since the domestic and international airports are separate in Sydney we would need to pay for a shuttle plus a $15 convenience fee of checking in our bags at the international part. Ok so let's get this straight, they want us to pay to get to the domestic area since it's our fault that they can't build an airport together, and want us to pay to checkin our bags? So he tells us to save some money, go to an ATM and get cash out for the shuttle andthen checkin at domestic because maybe they can wave our baggage fees. This is 45 minutes before departure might I add. Speed walk to the ATM very far away with all our bags and I get 50s back. Well... They don't take 50s on the shuttle. The second we walked outside, the shuttle left so we had to wait another 20 minutes for the next one. Alright so we are standing outside in the rain at the Sydney airport with our bags, not checked in yet, and with 30 minutes til departure. The Aussies thought we were obnoxious americans because I bet you aussie women would be very polite in our situation. But after asking Anthony 3 separate times to call the gate and tell them were coming and him refusing to kind of made us a wee bit angry! So we take our 10 minute shuttle ride literally on a highway and through the city to the international part of the airport... And the men yell to us to be loud and make our way to the front of the checkin line and take charge, we laughed and said we'll have no problem doing that... We're American! So go to checkin and she "can't wave luggage fees" are you kidding me? If we knew that and Anthony hadn't told us they could wave the fees in domestic we would have checked our bags in 45 minutes earlier. So she then tells us we are both $80 over so I take 3 jackets out of my bag and carry them on to save $10. So I paid $70 in baggage fines and so did Katelyn. Run through security and literally SPRINT to our gate... The last one! And everyone is still sitting there, so we asked people and they said ohhh we aren't going to cairns. Alright so we ask the gate people and they told us our gate was changed. You'd think the lady that checked us in 5 minutes earlier would have told us that but nope. So we run to the right gate, dripping in sweat, and guess what... The plane was delayed so we sat at the gate for 20 minutes before boarding! You'd also think they would have told us that too before we had panic attacks. I'm literally on the verge of tears at this point. Board the plane and we're the 3rd from the last row haha. Sit on runway for 25 minutes due to weather then take off and the turbulence was horrible! I started tearing up about to cry, and Katelyn and I were squeezing each others hands, we literally thought we were going to crash. The plane was rocking everywhere it was so scary! But now were in cairns and got a shuttle, more money, and are at our hostel. I spent $125 in fees etc today. Boy do I love traveling haha!