Homeward bound

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Well that's all folks!

We have now returned to Auckland and we fly home tonight, hopefully arriving Friday morning in the UK.

In the last few days we drove up to Orewa before returning the car. At Orewa we wandered by the ocean along the beach and soaked up the last of sunny NZ. Helena also played with her kite (i'll leave her to explain), before we arrived back in Auckland yesterday.

To say the least this trip has been special, magnificent and awe inspiring. We wouldn't of done it any other way in the end; for all the ups and downs. I have discovered I love surfing and will be looking into this on return to the UK, we have seen amazing sights from mountains to oceans, whales, waterfalls and glaciers. As well as meeting many interesting people, seeing some crazy Art and just enjoying life together.

Yet now the surfboards are sold, the kite packed away, bikes are in their bags.....

It's been great, just looking forward to the next great and good adventure!

All the best to ya all and see you soon,

Love

Chris xx :-)

PS: We saw this sign advertising pies, it has a striking resemblance to a certain friend who has a birthday. So Happy Birthday dude and Happy Birthday to Louisa as well! (the pies were rather good too!)



Well, well, well, the end is here...

The last few days have been spent at Orewa, i only managed to get the kite out once, and the wind was a couple of knots short of actually getting going. Nice beach though, and very nice weather. The kite is all packed away now, awaiting its next adventure - I am working on Chris for Iceland (supposed to be a bit cold there though.) Probably be Camber Sands though, just as cold from the looks of the weather back home!

We have had an excellent time for the last 6 months, seeing everything from glaciers, to mountains, to chocolate factories, to surfboards bouncing off Chris's head, water sledging, driving a monster truck, kayaking, national parks, mozzies/ sandflies/ midges, tipt top ice cream, iced chocolates (yummmmm), fjorland (wow). The injuries sustained have also been pretty excellent - we have managed a lacerated lip (C), a lost battle with a tent peg resulting in a lot of blood and a cut foot (H), crabs biting us in the ocean (C and H), sore heads from bouncing surfboards (C and H), mystery objects in the ocean slicing my foot during kite boarding - also resulting in a lot of blood (H), strained neck muscles from a lost battle with kite (C), and general wear and tear. Needless to say, everything is healed now.

The campsites have been an interesting experience also. There have been department of conservation campsites (were you lift the lid of the toilet and bugs fly out), New Plymouth where the owners told everyone the camp was full (because, as they told us on Xmas day, they didn't like to have to work too hard), there were plenty of sites were we were woken up early by building work, and lots and lots of really nice quite ones.

Anyway, the kite is packed away, the bags are all packed, and we now just have to get to the airport and check in our luggage - which has grown somewhat since arriving. Fingers crossed we are within our luggage allowance, otherwise I am going to have to chuck random objects (old clothes, art books, chris)...

See you all soon, lots of love

Helena x

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Photos

Helena with kite at Orewa beach
Helena and her kite at Orewa

Chris and bags at BK Hostel, Auckland
Chris with the bikes in their bags at BK Hostel Auckland

We saw this sign and thought of a certain friend
Happy Birthday to Ben and Louisa (whose birthdays are around this time)

Comments

[Si]

well well well
In all that time Chris couldn't manage a hair cut ;-)