Finally, after forever and a day, the day had arrived when we would hand over the keys to the flat, pick up the rental car and leave Auckland to start our travels. However, all had not been rosy in the preceeding weeks... Ever since the second week of December, both Corina and I had suffered illnesses that had kept us off work, off alcohol and off pretty much everything apart from the toilet and the phone to the doctor. I'd missed all but the last day of the last week in work with bad gastro issues, and from that day for nearly two weeks I had chest problems, the worst part was that I couldn't drink and be merry over christmas or really celebrate the end of 8 months of hard office slog. By the time
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