Friends

---

Sadly today we leave New Zealand and looking back we have had a spectacular time. For Andrew it's been a Birthday he will never forget and for James it's been, hopefully, an introduction to Oceania that he will want to explore further.

Our entire trip has been made even more special by the friends that we have managed to look up along the way and the generosity and hospitality they have all showed us has been heart warming and very welcome.

Firstly our trip to Los Angeles would not have been so much fun without Jeff, Arlene and Shelly putting themselves out to make us welcome in their home, entertaining us, showing us around and driving us around Beverley Hills in a 1962 Rolls Royce.This was a real treat and a true Beverley Hills welcome.

Northland would not have been the same without our hosts Martin and Damian, who opened their home to us, fed us, showed us around, and loaned us a car so we could explore the wonderful Bay of Islands. We thank you for this and for helping us to understand how New Zealand works and for expertly filling in the gaps in our knowledge of New Zealand's history.

What a joy to meet James' family here in Napier, the real icing on the cake for our trip to New Zealand's Art Deco capital. Thank you too for your hospitality and such a wonderful home cooked meal that was so welcome. Zoe, it was really great to meet you and your husband Fred and your lovely family Susan, Hamish and Reed - sorry we missed you Oscar. We would love to return your hospitality if ever you are over our way. Amazing to see you again in Tairua on the Coromandel coast - what a pleasant and unexpected surprise in our last week here.

Finally we need to thank Juan for his wonderful company and hospitality and for guiding us around Aukland. And thanks too for transporting us, bags and all, to and from car rental offices and the airport. We especially loved our authentic and memorable Spanish meal in the city. Besos to you!

As we wait for our flight out to Hong Kong, we are reflecting on our time here in this wonderful country. We adore its landscape, we have enjoyed the company of its friendly and considerate people, we love the sense of open space and freedom offered uniquely by these two islands. It feels like sensual overload, we have seen so much; but it will offer a reservoir of images which we are sure will keep coming back into our minds for years to come. We hope you have been able to share in at least some of the experiences via our blog, and that you will have caught some of our enthusiasm for this place. If you have never been, we hope it may even have inspired you to consider making the journey at some point.

However, we are not done yet. So stay tuned folks. We have bags packed, sleep-inducing pills at the ready, and when we next wake up we should, hopefully, be in Hong Kong, and we hope you will join us there. We are looking forward to our visit, and to catching up with our good friend Stevie, who, as luck would have it, is there this week on business.

---

Comments

[Brian Luckhurst]

A great trip!
Hi sounds like you are having a great trip and being 50 is not that bad! Enjoy the rest of the time you are away