Today is a travel day. It will be a very long travel day. This blog is a work in progress with the first part being composed in Departure Lounge B22-27 at Zurich International Airport. It is so quiet with just two retail outlets that those of you who are shopaholics would go quite mad, especially if you had two hours to kill. Pity we didn’t accidentally go to Transfer zone A but being good tourists we did as we were told. Security leaving Hong Kong was very efficient. He, who shall remain nameless, caused quite a stir. A very expensive Epipen showed up on the x-ray. Documents had to be shown as to why it was needed - boarding pass shown, passport shown, letter from doctor shown, departure gate number recorded – all a bit of ... read more

After a good sleep, a wonderful shower, and an extensive hotel breakfast (about NZ$15) we were ready to meet Rae. It was great to catch up with her and pass on greetings from her ex-colleagues back in NZ. Jill’s parcel made it safely and our bags are a tiny bit lighter. With Rae, we headed to Hong Kong Island by MTR and got off at Admiralty. From here we caught a double-decker bus to Stanley on the other side of the island. The road is hilly, winding, but the views are spectacular. Incredible apartment buildings dot the hillsides for the best views. Today was a public holiday so everyone in Hong Kong decided to visit Stanley. We jostled around the market and found a wonderful little jewellery shop. For security Marilyn left her rings in NZ ... read more

What a great feeling of excitement to wake up knowing this is the day we leave on our adventure. All lists (and there were many) have been ticked off, the food is down to the last two slices of toast bread and enough milk for the cereals, teas and coffees. Final wash completed, zips on bags closed and the doors locked. Our neighbours, Ray and Yvonne, kindly offered to take us to the airport and off we go. The flight to Auckland was uneventful but great to be met by sister Gretchen and husband Grahame. We had plenty of time to catch up with the Benvie clan in Auckland. Our niece Leigh and her husband are proud first time parents so great to see little Lachlan. Leigh’s sister Erin, and partner Brent, joined us all for ... read more