Farewell broad bean - it's been a blast...

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My fleeting visit to Coromandel was over as soon as it began, as today I'm heading back down the other side of the peninsular towards Thames and then round to Auckland to meet Ray and Monique, who I will be staying with until Sunday. Ray is a friend of Dad's from the Bootle days and emigrated out here 40 years ago, so I've never met him before, apart from a quick Skype session. Nothing like throwing yourself into the unknown eh...

The journey was quick but took me along the coastline for my final bendy road drive in the bean. Over 5,000km in 20 days we've done together and I have to say I'm going to miss it. Yes, it's got a few more battle scars than it did previously (broken parcel shelf that occurred on day 1 for starters...) but it's been great fun to drive and has never let me down. A great travel buddy - and soon to be someone else's new best friend!

I dropped the car back and despite the damage, horrendous mileage and mud picked up from Queenstown along every road since then, the bean passed with flying colours and the deposit was returned. Yippeee!

Ray turned up not long after - fortunately I recognised him from the pictures he sent so that was good. Looks like we can both talk for England so I'm sure we're going to have a great few days. He really wants my Mum and Dad to come over and visit but I think it's going to take a tranquilizer dart to get my Dad on a plane to Liverpool, let alone the other side of the world...

Anyway, we caught up, laughed and joked, and Monique joined us when she came home from her job as a teacher at the girls' school. Making plans for the next few days, I called Janine, who I used to work with at TP, to arrange to see her on Friday as she too is now in Auckland. It's going to be a busy few days - I'm hoping that the sun stays out because it's been a lovely day today. However tomorrow, I'm not so sure we're in for the same...

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