Breakfast was interrupted by a phone call from Jen’s Mum saying that Jen’s Dad Ray had been rushed to hospital after a possible heart attack. This of course meant that we considered heading home a month early. A later phone call was a bit more encouraging so we decided to continue with a journey pending any developments. We therefore headed south as planned. We waved off the Austrailian contingent on their bus - even getting a hug from Julie. The unexpected events meant that we left later than anticipated, and we had a tight schedule for all the things we wanted to do, so I forgot that the car ferry between Kohukohu and Rawene we had to catch leaves the north shore on the hour. The winding road passed through georgeous valleys as I raced
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