A typical three-and-a-half-hour flight from Brisbane, Australia to New Zealand turned into a longer travel experience for Gilas Pilipinas last Saturday.

The Philippine squad endured a flight reroute from its scheduled landing in Wellington to Auckland, was stranded on the tarmac for four hours, and was told that the Filipinos would have to return to their flight’s point of origin before eventually being cleared to deplane after two additional hours.

Gilas went through a rough, tiring trip from its training camp in Brisbane to the final stretch of its preparation in New Zealand ahead of the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier.

In a Facebook post, assistant coach Sean Chambers shared what the Gilas crew went through in their journey to New Zealand.

“Tough travel day yesterday,” Chambers wrote on his post on Sunday morning.

Gilas has been in Brisbane since Tuesday for a training camp. The Tim Cone-mentored crew left Australia for New Zealand to continue its buildup, including two tune-up matches against local clubs.

“We left Brisbane, Australia, at 9 a.m. and made two attempts to land in Wellington, New Zealand, but the weather wouldn’t allow it. We were rerouted to Auckland and landed safely. After sitting on the tarmac for over four hours, we were told we’d have to return to Brisbane because of customs,” Chambers said.

“Two hours later, we finally received clearance to deplane in Auckland, collected our bags, grabbed an Uber to the hotel, and got into our room at midnight,” he added.

The following day, Gilas left Auckland for its exhibition match against the Manawatu Jets at the Fly Palmy Arena in Manawatū-Whanganui Region.

“This morning, it’s all about a positive mindset. No excuses — just gratitude. Let’s go, Gilas Pilipinas!” Chambers said.

The delays prompted organizers of the tune-up match to move the scheduled 1 p.m. game (9 a.m. Manila time) to 6 p.m. (2 p.m. Manila time).

Gilas will have a second tune-up game against Franklin Bulls on Tuesday at the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre in Pukekohe.

The squad will have two more days to prepare before plunging into action against New Zealand on 3 July.

Gilas will fly back to Australia to take on the Boomers on 6 July in Perth.