E noho rā New Zealand

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Today we got on an Emirates flight and left New Zealand bound for Sydney Australia. It’s been more than a year in New Zealand and more than 15 months since we left Canada on a snowy night in January; it seems like a life time ago. There was a sense of finality filling out our departure cards, checking the box "leaving New Zealand permanently”. The last couple of weeks have been hectic and for the most part enjoyable but inexorably leading to this day.

I was able to sell the Landcruiser for $28,000 NZD - a very acceptable price. It was $7,000 less than I bought it for, but we put more than 30,000 kms on the truck. I ended up selling it on TradeMe (New Zealand’s version of Ebay). After a few unsuccessful attempts to sell it, on the advice of a used car dealer, I lowered the reserve price to $21k. As predicted by the dealer, a bidding war ensued leading to a much higher price than I thought I was going to get.

This morning, after one more final cull, we left the Quest on Nelson - the serviced apartment where we stayed on our first night in New Zealand - with one bag and one carry-on each. We killed a few hours in a movie theatre in south Auckland. We saw “Jumper”, an entirely unremarkable movie. However, the seating made up for it. We were in the "half-pipe" theatre where the only seating was on large bean bags - a unique experience to say the least.

It has been a fabulous year and I don’t think hyperbole to say a life changing experience for everyone. More than the sights and the people we have met in New Zealand, we have gotten to know each other better. The test of our new bond, will come in the weeks ahead, as we attempt to travel the Middle East and Europe in cramped quarters, in unfamiliar surroundings for almost three months. Presumably, we will either grow closer or never want to see each other again. Stay tuned ….

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Photos

Auckland Sky Tower
A last view of the Sky Tower from our apartment in Auckland