You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.
Two hours later and more time and effort than I was willing to expend, I have roughly mapped out our whirlwind tour of the North Island of New Zealand. It takes a little while to load but if you click the link you will be taken to a Google map with a blue line representing the route we took. We left on 13 January and were away for just 8 days, spending 3 days in Auckland so the rest of our tour really was fast and at times furious (I’m not the most chillaxed traveller at the best of times, add PMT to my reasons for a mood swing and you create an unpredictable ball of fury waiting to combust…)
I will divide our journey into a day-by-day account, but so you can follow the map route from A to Z in the right order, here’s a quick lowdown:
13 Jan – Day 1: Begin at home in Upper Hutt (use left panel and click on landmark labelled ‘Home!’). Follow Highway 2 (red shield marked ‘2′) all the way North to Hastings and up to Napier.
14 Jan – Day 2: From Napier retrace steps back down to Hastings and across to Ocean Beach. Retrace your steps back to Hastings and follow Highway 2 up to Napier. Just North of Napier pick up Highway 5 (red shield marked ‘5′) up to Lake Taupo. From Lake Taupo take Highway 1 (red shield marked ‘1′) up to Tirau. Pick up Secondary Highway 27 then take a right at Secondary Highway 26, follow 26 to Te Aroha
15 Jan – Day 3: From Te Aroha carry on up North on Secondary Highway 26. At Kopu take Secondary Highway 25 and follow up the Coromandel Peninsula. Take a big, loooooong loop around the Peninsula and back down along Secondary Highway 25A. At Kopu take Secondary Highway 25 west and pick up Highway 2. Take Highway 2 to Highway 1 then travel North to Auckland
15 Jan to 18 Jan – Day 3 to Day 6: Stay in Auckland until 18 Jan. From Auckland city centre, take Highway 1 to North Shore, take a right and travel down to Devonport. Retrace steps back to Highway 1 then start heading back down south. Take Highway 1 back down to Highway 2, then take Highway 2 back to Secondary Highway 26. Take Secondary Highway 26 back to Te Aroha
19 Jan – Day 7: From Te Aroha follow Secondary Highway 26 south to Secondary Highway 27. Take Secondary Highway 27 and pick up Highway 5 just south of Tirau. Take Highway 5 east to Rotorua
20 Jan – Day 8: From Rotorua take Highway 5 south to Lake Taupo. Pick up Highway 1 and follow all the way down south toward Wellington. Come off Highway 1 just north of Upper Hutt and follow roads back home!
To make my life easier I have also back dated the posts to the correct day – so scroll down to find them or click on the corresponding days above.
Knowing we were ready to head home we packed up and left Rotorua as fast as we could. We both felt tired and irritable, we missed small home comforts and were pretty much ‘over it’ in terms of being constantly on the move. Due to our pre-arranged trips to Big Day Out in Auckland and Wellington Cup Day back in Trentham, we didn’t have time to take our time. We had to speed through each place, seeing the sites through the car window and talking about the activities we could have done if we’d been able to stay. The trip allowed me to see the many faces of New Zealand from beach to national park and urban cities to rural towns and enabled me to meet Brandon’s family which made it all worthwhile, but it left me feeling a little underwhelmed because it didn’t live up to my expectations in terms of being the type of life-changing trip which a few of my friends have expressed to me about their travels in New Zealand. But unlike them, who had to go back home to the UK, I am here to stay so I have all the time in the world to go back and re-visit everywhere I’ve seen and all the places I missed, and next time I’ll do a little research and make sure I do everything there is to do and stop for a while to take it all in.
Our journey back to Upper Hutt took us via Lake Taupo again, but this time we didn’t stop. However, I have posted below the photos that I missed out in my previous post about our quick Taupo stop on the way up the North Island. The photos don’t do justice to the size of Lake Taupo. It is so vast you could be forgiven for thinking it was an ocean rather than a lake. Unlike the photos I have stolen from Google, it isn’t so tranquil and clear either – it’s packed with people swimming, paddling, kayaking and boating. In the distance, to the North West of the lake, the mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro can be seen with their snow capped peaks. This is where Kiwi will snowboard in the winter (and where I will attempt to snowboard but will probably end up resembling a human sledge, spending most of the time sliding down hill on just the seat of my salopettes)…
There’s not a lot left to mention now that I am ending my rendition of our North Island trip. Six hours driving and one tearful tantrum later (I can only blame a mixture of tiredness, hunger, PMS and generally being a girl) and we arrived back in Upper Hutt with a huge sigh of relief. It’s only a matter of time before we get itchy travelling feet again but for now we’re happy to be settled in one place. But not for long I assume, as soon as the reality of life hits and we realise that it’s back to business-searching and becoming slaves to our bank accounts.
After a good nights sleep in Te Aroha on our luxury airbed and a late brunch with Kiwi’s family, we were back on the road again, this time headed to Rotorua with its sulphuric lake, natural thermal pools and guises. We made the decision that since we had spent our entire travel budget which was supposed to last at least 2 weeks (that’s what happens when you ‘camp’ in 5 star accommodation), that we would spend just one night in Rotorua and travel back home to Upper Hutt the following day. We also made the decision that yet again we would find a hotel room instead of a campsite, since it was our last night and all…
On arrival in Rotorua we pulled into Rainbow Springs, ‘Nature Park and Kiwi Encounter’. We had missed the last Kiwi Encounter tour of the day, but we were able to walk around the rainbow trout ponds, see native birds like Tui, Kea and Morepork, enjoy the native plants and walk through the indoor Kiwi house in which the nocturnal birds slept during the day. We did get to see a Kiwi, but she was tucked in the corner of the enclosure pressed up against the glass in low lighting so all we really saw was a big bundle of feathers curled in a ball. It was disappointing for the $25 entrance fee, but the money goes toward the conservation of the park and its native species, so it was worth it for their sakes. I think the only way we’ll get close enough to a Kiwi for me to think the experience was ‘real’ is the opportunity we’ll have to release them on Ocean Beach.
After our average Kiwi Encounter we found an average hotel-come-motel and were barely in the room 5 minutes before we headed back out again to find the Polynesian Spa which had been recommended to us. The Spa offers outdoor mineral pools, each a different heat and levels of acid or alkaline water. The perfect place in which to enjoy our last evening on holiday. On arrival we had the choice of paying $20 for access to the adult spa or $40 for access to the lake spa deluxe, advertised as ‘overlooking Lake Rotorua’. We decided to go with the $20 adult spa and we’re glad we did – it also overlooks the lake to the extent that you can sit in one of the pools and you are right next to the lake, looking out to the sunset (as modelled in the photo below, replace the bikini clad girl with a bikini clad me and that was my main position during our spa visit). The $40 charge for a ‘deluxe spa’ just isn’t worth it – it’s simply a tourist trap.
The Polynesian Spa also offers mineral treatments for visitors of which I fancied a mud wrap. But at $80 for 30 minutes I decided against it and instead visited the gift shop and bought myself a gigantic tub of Rotorua Thermal Mud for just $20, so I could do my own mud treatments as many times as I like. I hope it’ll do my skin some good since it has broken out in acne over my arms, chest and back. I grow up without skin troubles then get teenage acne at the grand old age of 24… lucky me.
After our spa we headed out for dinner, finding a Thai restaurant called Amazing Thai Restaurant. It was good, the food was lovely but the service was so-so and we have eaten better Thai (Udong in Newcastle, Westgate Road, truly is amazing) so it didn’t live up to its name. All travelled out and ready to head home, we went back to the hotel-come-motel and had an early night ready for our long drive home.
Jan 15 – Day 3:
The drive around the Coromandel Peninsula took a lot longer than I anticipated, the deceptively small area and seemingly short drive (judged from looking at the AA map) took us about 3 or so hours to tour. We stopped for lunch just past the town of Coromandel itself, parked up on a grass verge overlooking a thin slice of beach and bright blue sea which seemed to go on forever. We had packed a picnic and tucked into it on plastic picnic plates on our laps, sat in the car as the wind was whipping the sand around. Having taken 1 hour and 45 minutes just to drive from the bottom of the Peninsula up to Coromandel town, just where the road takes a turn from the east coast and travels over to the west coast, we were aware we’d have to move on quickly if we were to meet Kiwi’s friends in Auckland on time. We washed our picnic dishes in the sea and drove on, following the highway west away from the coast and back down the other side, enjoying one picturesque view after another for miles on miles of road.
Back on the main highway, Highway 2, we headed across to Highway 1 which would take us to our destination, Auckland, for where we had tickets to Big Day Out, a one day music festival plus we were staying in style for three nights at the five star Sky City Grand Hotel. On arrival we met up with 3 friends of Kiwi and checked into the hotel. We had adjoining rooms complete with robes, slippers and complimentary mini-cakes. We relaxed for a while in our rooms, freshened up in the luxury showers, changed for the evening and headed out onto the streets of the big city. We didn’t get far since we were all starving after our long day travelling and found a Turkish restaurant called Midnight Express just down the road from Sky City. The food was delicious, even though it was served by surly waitresses who were not impressed to see us waltz in at 10pm asking for a table for 5; they obviously wanted to get us out as soon as possible so they could go home. After dinner we headed back to the hotel where, still jetlagged, I collapsed in bed anticipating a long day ahead at Big Day Out.
Jan 16 – Day 4:
Since we were living in luxury we decided to dine in luxury for breakfast, spending $40 each for the pleasure of an extensive hot, cold and continental breakfast buffet. We filled our plates and ourselves to the brim to keep hunger at bay during our day at Big Day Out. Big Day Out was a long, hot, sweaty day of music, dancing and lounging in the sun, topped off with seeing the headlining show from Prodigy. We headed back to our hotel, covered in a pool of our own sweat (and probably that of other people too), washed ourselves down and collapsed in bed again, our exhaustion made worse from the lingering jetlag.
Jan 17 – Day 5:
We spent the day shopping for my dress for Wellington Cup Day – the NZ equivalent of Ascot. I came away with a purple chiffon dress decorated with silver and crystal sequins and beads, bought for the bargain price of $40 (about £15) from Portman’s – the NZ equivalent of Monsoon. Feeling tired and achy from the previous day’s antics we went back to the hotel where we made the most of the luxury facilities with a trip to the pool, sauna and jacuzzi. We ended the day by going out for dinner, again walking not far from the hotel before we found a Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurant called Tony’s. The portions were generous, and we were nearly full after our starters – for which I had fried camembert. I chose a Pacific Steak for my main course, cooked rare, which consisted of a steak stuffed with crab meat and topped with crayfish and a tarragon sauce. It was the best steak of my life so far and I highly recommend to anyone visiting Auckland that they find Tony’s on Wellesley Street. Again, for the third night in a row I could barely manage to last past 11pm and once more collapsed at the hotel for an early night, this time leaving Kiwi who went out and didn’t arrive back until 5am.
Jan 18 – Day 6:
Our 3 nights in Auckland were up and after finding brunch in Wendy’s burger bar in the city centre we parted ways with Kiwi’s friends and carried on with our North Island tour, this time heading back home. But not before we travelled across the Northern Highway to Devonport so Kiwi could show me where he lived for a short time when he was 16. Devonport is a very pretty beach town situated overlooking Auckland city across the causeway. We had a walk across the main high street, along the path by the beach and through a small park where children were playing in the sun. I found myself imagining this would be the kind of place I could live in future, but it’s a highly sought after area and therefore expensive, and it’s easy to see why. It has the best of both worlds, being both beautiful and coastal and within a stone’s throw of the bustling city with all it’s high rises and concrete mass. The perfect get away for those who work the 9-5.
With Kiwi feeling tired from his early morning bed time, and me still feeling jetlagged, we decided to head back to Te Aroha, back to see Kiwi’s Nana and also his Aunt, Mum and Step-Dad who had gathered there for the weekend. The journey back was less than 2 hours as we took the direct route, wanting to just relax, enjoy some time with the family and replenish our energy. It was the first time in a few years that the whole of Kiwi’s immediate maternal family were together in one room and it was good to be a part of it and I felt that I belonged. I was told I had the thumbs up from his Mum, Aunt and Nana, which is good to know since I’m a big believer that if you can’t get on with a partner’s family, they aren’t necessarily your ideal partner. Essentially you are your parent’s children – you carry their traits and they created your background – so any differences with their family can be telling. It’s a cynical attitude but I’ve found it to be true in my relationships at least.
So, yet again we had a comfy place to put up our feet in and relax for a night. Our ‘camping’ trip had so far only involved 1 night out of 6 in a tent, which suited us just fine. Although we did spend the night on the airbed as there weren’t enough beds for everyone – not that we were complaining as it is a bed that sweet dreams are quite literally made of.
We left Kiwi’s Nana with the promise that we would return on our way back down the North Island, after the weekend in Auckland. We had played with the idea of visiting either Hamilton or Mount Maunganui before heading to Auckland, where we had to meet Kiwi’s friends and check into the Sky City Grand Hotel in the evening. But not excited by the thought of traipsing around a city or lazing on the beach at Maunganui, we decided instead to take a drive up and around the Coromandel Peninsula, via the windiest (thats wind like a spiral, not wind like air) road I have ever encountered. Not good for someone who gets carsick so we kept the windows open and I practically stuck my head out with my ears waving in the wind (this time I am referring to wind like air). Secondary Highway 25 runs along the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula before crossing through Native Forest and hills to the west coast. The scenary changes dramatically from open space with views of rocky cliffs, calm seas and beaches out of a perfect post card, complete with palm trees to high hills covered in trees either side of narrow road which bends like a salalem run for miles, opening out into countryside, back into hills and forest followed again by vast beaches and sea. I’ll let the pictures below (thank you Google maps) speak for themselves…
Having spent an hour in the campsite shower room, drying and straightening my hair (it was lucky they didn’t charge for electricity or I’d have had to put up with an embarrassingly big bouffant), we packed up the tent (that’s a lie – Kiwi packed up the tent and the car while waiting for me to emerge from the showers) and headed off to Ocean Beach, to meet Brandon’s paternal Aunt. Amazingly Brandon’s family own Ocean Beach along with 34 batches (pictured below – ‘holiday homes’ to us Brits) and a few thousand acres of land and the road leading to the beach. It’s Maori land which the family have fought hard and for many years to keep (the government tried to take it off them) and they are now conserving the beach by stopping property developers building on it, encouraging the growth of native plants throughout the area and even releasing Kiwis in a protected part of the land. There’s more information about it here.
The drive along Waimarama Road and the road to Ocean Beach offers stunning views (pictured above) of vineyards and olive groves set amongst miles on miles of green hills and valleys. It’s a mediterranean landscape which opens out to the seemingly untouched sands of Ocean Beach (pictured below), with its bright turquoise sea and Bare Island in the distance, where Brandon’s family sometimes take their boat out to. I’ll take a moment just to mention that I did not take one photograph during the entire trip, and so I have stolen other people’s from Google maps. I’m sure they take better photos than me anyway.
We were taken on a little tour of Ocean Beach and some of the batches. The day was so warm and sunny it was easy to imagine the kind of relaxed life somebody would live in such a place. Brandon’s Aunt told us it’s perfectly feasible to sleep out on the large decks the batches have, taking advantage of the fact the beach is sheltered by hills so there’s hardly any wind and no mosquitoes. I can’t express how tranquil and stunning the area is, and we’re so lucky to have the priviledge of Brandon’s family’s generosity as we’re welcome to stay there if we feel like a holiday and we will be able to participate in releasing Kiwis in a few months – coming in direct contact with the endangered bird. Cuddling a Kiwi is something most people will never be able to do, it is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity so I can appreciate how very, very lucky we are – I can’t wait!
Sadly we couldn’t spend more time at Ocean Beach but we had to carry on up North toward Auckland. We decided we would visit Brandon’s maternal Aunt and Nana at their home in Te Aroha, half an hour north of Hamilton. So we got back on the road for the four hour drive, stopping halfway at Lake Taupo for lunch at Burger Fuel – a burger bar chain that sells some immense burgers that make McD’s and BK’s hang their heads in shame. I went for COMBUSTION VEGE, which sounds as big as it was. And so, so gooooood. I’ll post pictures of Taupo on day 8 – 20 January, as we passed it on our way home.
We arrived in Te Aroha early evening, where I met Brandon’s Nana. Again I was made to feel instantly like one of the family and I LOVE his Nana, she told me I have beautiful eyes! She’s too lovely to be true. Brandon’s Nana lives with his Aunt, who owns a stunning house. This camping trip was taking a turn for the better as we slept in luxury accommodation, in a house with a balcony from which is an unbelievable view of Mount Te Aroha (also known as lover’s mountain – pictured below). We were lucky not to be camping again as we could see black clouds over the mountain which quickly travelled overhead bringing with them strong winds and what can only be described as a tropical storm. The rain pelted against the windows and the wind whistled through the windows which were open because of the humidity. Tired from the long drive we ate dinner which consisted of one packet of Sizzlers cheese sausages with Watties tomato sauce and collapsed in bed, undecided about what the next day would bring.
We spent a whole week recovering from jetlag and generally lazing around in Upper Hutt until were itching to get away on our mini adventure in a monster truck, so-called because we borrowed Kiwi’s Dad’s monster truck for the trip (that’s Toyota Hi-lux to you manly men who know about cars) and packed its extensive boot to the brim with suitcases, tent, picnic bag, fold-up chairs, chilly bag (that’s ‘cool box’ to us Brits), shit-box and all sorts of creature comforts including my hair straighteners, hair dryer and a deluxe air bed which needs electricity to ’self inflate’ and is comfier than your average normal bed. Well there’s no point trying to travel low maintenance when you have a BIG truck to fill.
We have no set plans except that we know we have to be in Auckland on 15 January, as we have tickets to Big Day Out and reservations to stay 3 nights at the 5 star Sky City Grand Hotel. On the road we decide to follow Highway 2 up North to Hastings. We have a quick coffee in Hastings but the place seems quiet so we head further north to Napier. We arrive early evening in Napier and decide we’ll settle nearby for the night so we can make a visit to Kiwi’s paternal Aunt the next day whose home is half an hour away in Ocean Beach, Hawkes Bay.
Napier, pictured above, is a pretty town with buildings of an Art Deco style making you feel that you are stepping into an old American movie. Having looked around and topped up our daily caffeine dosage in a local cafe, we decide to find a place to camp. We look in our handy AA accomodation guide and find a nice campsite in Westshore. We stop at a Pak n’ Save (Asda equivalent) on the way and grab ourselves a feast of crab sticks, mussels in garlic, pots of coleslaw and moroccan style carrots from the salad deli and a loaf of cheese and bacon bread, along with a box of Monteith’s Summer Ale (a ginger-beer flavoured ale – very, very tastilicious) and a pack of fun-size Twix’s. The drive to the campsite should only take 15 minutes so with our bellies already rumbling we couldn’t wait to get there, set up camp and eat… 45 minutes later, after driving in the wrong direction and arguing about my map reading abilities, we arrive. As we get out the car and book into a tent pitch it starts to pour with rain.
If you have ever pitched a tent in the rain, you’ll agree it’s a painful task that seems pointless. Both you and the inside of the tent get just as wet as the outside, so even once you are fully unpacked and sheltered you’re still surrounded by puddles of water and damp walls. There is no getting away from the wet. Our deluxe airbed which seemed like such a good idea at purchase prooved itself to be impractical in rainy situations. We hadn’t realised that by ’self inflate’, the bed wouldn’t just inflate at the push of a button, it would need a power point to which we could plug in a pump. Our pitch had no power point. We had to carry the bed, in the rain, across to the communal kitchen facilities and plug the pump in there to inflate the bed. We got a few looks from other campers to say the least. Having blown up our gigantic double deluxe mattress we lugged it back to the tent, turned upside down to try and save us from lying on a wet surface.
Hungry, tired and wet through it was all a bit much for me and I had a tantrum. I was only placated an hour later after we had eaten our dinner and I finally got to lie down on the deluxe airbed – it was then I realised it was all worth it. I had the comfiest night’s sleep a camper has ever had.
For the first week we have been living with Kiwi’s parents in Upper Hutt, part of the greater Wellington region and 30 minutes drive from the city centre. Upper Hutt receives some abuse from residents of Wellington, known for being too small. It’s seen as a town which locals never leave – it has a ‘once a Hutt girl/boy, always a Hutt girl/boy’ reputation. But because it is so different to what I am used to I am loving every aspect of it. It’s not too small or too quiet for me. I’m still in awe of the view from our bedroom window – every morning I wake up to blue skies and the sight of hills covered with lush greenery; you literally cannot see the wood for the trees. The town is set in a valley and many of the buildings are one storey so the stunning view isn’t blocked in any direction. Even so the buildings themselves are picturesque – not in the quaint ‘English country house’ style, but in a way which reminds me of a model village. No house looks the same, the New Zealand suburbs aren’t filled with house built from the same blueprint – few are brick, many are weatherboard and most are painted colourfully, like Balamory on a wider scale. Perhaps its the majority of one storey buildings which makes me feel the whole place is small but perfectly formed. It makes for a feeling of openness, letting in the sunlight, framing the sights of the valley and enhancing the view of the streets so it seems you can see for a mile up the road.
Everything seems more colourful over here too, road signs, buildings, shop signage, advert billboards, even lamposts; it’s as though somebody has turned up the brightness using the remote to the screen of life. It’s no surprise then that everyone is laid back, relaxed and friendly. It’s hard to take life too seriously in this environment, and no-one is in a hurry because why hurry and let the sights and sounds of this more colourful country pass you by? The unfamiliarity is making even the smallest experience exciting – I love how the railroads run across neighbourhood streets, so you have to cross the tracks. It’s something so simple but for me it’s a novelty. The supermarkets are a mini adventure; the fruit and vegetable aisles contain mountains of produce , with a few alien items I never knew existed (Feijoa and Apple Cucumbers for example). The usual brands I look for have been replaced by unrecognisable products, so it feels I’m trying foods I know well for the first time. The sweets and biscuits aisle once again gives me the same excited intrigue it did when I was a child – I want to pick up a pack of everything and sneak it into the trolley. It seems that, like life, food isn’t taken too seriously either, with items called ‘Cookie Bears’ and the ‘English’ cinder toffee is known as Hokey Pokey. Just thinking about it makes me want to stick my left leg in, take my left leg out, put it in again and shake it all about…
I’m sure that in time the newness of everything will wear off and I’ll calm down, but for now I’m relishing the opportunity for reliving how it feels toreally discover your environment. Too often we become blind to the world around us, which is understandable when we see the same sights day in, day out. I have regained the privilege usually lost past childhood – experiencing experiences for the first time.
Most important to me is the feeling that I belong here. I feel at home – Kiwi’s parents could not have been more welcoming and I truly feel I have walked in as one of the family. They have turned their home around for us – turning a spare bedroom into an office to accomodate the fact we can’t afford to find a place of our own until we have some regular clients in our newly self employed status. I have joined the local library, bought a card for the local swimming pool and started to get to know my new neighbourhood by going for walks and taking runs around the area. Best of all is the close proximity of a friend who left the UK to move back home to New Zealand last year after marrying her Geordie husband and falling pregnant. She introduced Kiwi and I and she can now see where she has led us – like her, Kiwi has bought his English beau home. We now live around the corner from her so I can see her new baby girl as she grows. We were lucky to see her just as her contractions set in, and meet the baby when she was just 12 hours old. This is another first experience for me – seeing a baby as she develops at every stage. None of my family or friends has had children that I have seen more than a couple of times a year, for short periods of time. It will teach me some of the joys of motherhood, and the drawbacks too, experience I can save for later. It has triggered my maternal instincts though and I’m starting to see that maybe one day I’d like one of these baby-things too…
The flight over was uneventful – except for a short period of turbulence on the second leg between Los Angeles and Auckland. It was nighttime, the cabin was deathly silent with only a couple of reading lights overhead and the atmosphere combined with the turbulence made me convinced I was in the midst of a scene from ‘Alive!’ or some similar disaster movie and it was only a matter of time before the plane would plunge into a nosedive and we’d plummet to an untimely end. There was little I could do about it though so I simply burst into tears and buried my head in the armpit of a bemused Kiwi, who did his best to console me while trying not to laugh.
I only managed an hour or so’s sleep throughout the journey, passing the time alternating between watching one of the many inflight movies, reading the library of books in my bag and panicking about my imminent death or fight for survival in the Andes (ref. ‘Alive!’ If you’ve not seen it, don’t. It is largely responsible for grounding my fear of flying). Making up for the sheer discomfort of constantly feeling on edge and listening out for the calls of ‘Brace! Brace!’ from the cabin crew was the inflight menu. I recommend everyone fly Air New Zealand. The food is plentiful, arriving at more than regular intervals and in copious amounts. We were served dishes made from ingredients sourced in New Zealand accompanied by New Zealand wines. Even the coffee served was good, which is a rarity for onboard coffee of any variety. Plus, the cabin crew were a breath of fresh air compared to those in the UK. They seemed to genuinely enjoy the job and the overspeaker announcements from our pilot were tongue in cheek.
Despite my fears we did arrive safely in Auckland and to celebrate that I had lived to see the otherside of the world I hit duty free. I’ve always wanted to own a bottle of Chanel No5 and so I parted with $199 for the pleasure of finally achieving the dream. Yes it’s a bit steep, even for duty free but money comes and goes and life is too short when you put your life in the hands of a tin can suspended tens of thousands of feet in the sky, against the inevitable rule of gravity that states what goes up must come down…
Even so, we were to play with gravity again as just one hour after we landed we were off again, flying from Auckland to Wellington, our final destination. Far from being terrifying this flight was fantastic. I saw New Zealand for the first time (or a small part of it anyway). The sky was clear blue, not a cloud was in sight and having gotten a window seat I was treated to a view of bright turquoise sea, snow capped mountains and miles upon miles of rolling green hills. This stunning country is my new home and I love it.
Another backdated post taking us back to the new year and the UK again. Having stayed in the beauty and peace of the back of beyond in Scotland for 10 days Kiwi and I were ready for civilization, so on 1st January we flew from Aberdeen to London for five days of fun, frolics and the last goodbyes with family and friends during our last weekend in England. We stayed with the incredibly hospitable Ally and boyfriend for the duration of our trip, and I say hospitable most sincerely because on arrival we turned their flat upside down in a whirlwind of the contents of our 5 giant suitcases. You couldn’t move without tripping over an odd shoe of mine and they didn’t complain once. Thank you lovely people, you’re welcome to stay with us in NZ anytime you wish and return the favour by making a mess of our house and eating the entire contents of our fridge… we owe you.
During our stay I took a trip down memory lane by returning ‘home’ to Harpenden, passing by all my old haunts from the first 19 years of my life. It didn’t feel like home anymore – I didn’t recognise anyone, there were new shops, cafes and restaurants and the place had moved on six years, as have I. I spent a day with my brother, sister-not-in-law and my 27 month old nephew who I was sad to leave because his butter-wouldn’t-melt cheeky character is highly entertaining and cute and there’s a lot of growing up of his I’ll miss!
Back in London we met up with some friends who’d travelled down from Newcastle to see us off – it’s gestures like these that makes us realise how great our friends are in the UK and that’s hard to leave behind. My Uncle travelled through from Birmingham for a quick coffee and I also met up some with blasts from the past, having told old school friends that we’d be in London and would love to say goodbye. I never expected so many people to turn up and was overwhelmed to see everyone. Again it makes me wish I had more time to catch up, but I also know that had I not been leaving the UK I’m sure we wouldn’t have had the excuse to meet and I wouldn’t have enjoyed everyone’s company, despite the bittersweet occasion.
Ending the trip with on a high note were our tickets to see the Lion King at the West End. I wasn’t as emotional as I had anticipated, but it was a good 8 years ago that I saw it for the first time and I think age has mellowed the excitement. Saying that, it was still an amazing performance and more importantly Kiwi enjoyed it, having never experienced a West End show. Afterwards we had a lovely meal cooked by Ally (courtesy of Jamie Oliver’s cook book), complete with champagne – the perfect end to a fantastic long weekend in the big smoke.
And so, the end of our chapter of life together in England started on Monday 5th January, the day of our flights and the moment I had been dreading. I imagined the trip to Heathrow airport would be emotional, stressful and I’d feel panicky – I’m usually terrified of flying. But I was calm, collected and ready to go – the journey had been a LONG time coming. We had a smooth check-in, a delicious meal in the airport and the time flew until it was time to board the plane and take off to the beginning of a new chapter of life in New Zealand…
He said, then she said...