The end of the journey

I have now been home for almost 3 days and finally had time to sort out the photos for our journey home and finish my blog. In doing this I have realised that I have missed out our last day in New Zealand.

On our final morning we left Rotorua and headed towards Auckland in very changeable weather. We stopped at Matamata for a visit to Hobbiton - where the Hobbit scenes for the Lord of the Rings were filmed.

We then headed on up to Auckland, handed over the campervan and headed off to the hotel for a few hours rest before getting the flight to Hong Kong via Sydney. All very uneventful and we arrived at our hotel in Hong Kong (Mong Kok district of Kowloon) about 7:30pm local time. Hotel was very nice and we were treated very well there. Hong Kong itself though is like nowhere I have ever been before - densely populated and totally manic.

Tuesday morning we set off down to the harbour on the metro and took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island. Once there we boarded a tour bus for a trip round the main sights of the island and a trip on the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Hill. Some fantastic views from there down over Hong Kong Island, the harbour and Kowloon - although a bit misty. We took the tram back down again and continued on our bus journey finally heading back to Kowloon on the ferry and back to our hotel. At 7:30 pm we set off back down to the harbour to see the light show which is a Guiness world record holder. It was quite impressive with flashing lights on lots of the Hong Kong and Kowloon buildings and lasers. Afterwards we had a walk round some of the shops and stalls operating at night before catching the shuttle bus back to the hotel.

Wednesday morning we once again boarded the metro and headed down to the harbour again where we boarded the tour bus for the Kowloon half of the trip. We then boarded the Star ferry again to the Hong Kong side and caught a bus for Aberdeen. This is a fishing village (not so much village as skyscrapers again) where there are people who live on their Sampans in the harbour. This is mostly now just for the benefit of tourists with the people living in the skyscrapers.

We made a second visit to the light show in the evening and the shops again, this time walking up Nathan Road and making a visit to the Temple Street night market.

Thursday was our last day and we took a trip on the metro to Lantau Island and the Big Buddha. This also involved a bus journey up into the hills of the island but definitely worth it. They have a cable car that goes up there too, but not for me! This is another Guiness world record holder - the largest seated Buddha in the world.

This made a very good last day- the day when it is very easy to spend waiting to leave. We left for the airport at about 9:30 pm and again had a pretty uneventful, if very long, flight home. Arrival at Heathrow was on time and we made it home by about 10:30 on Friday morning - delayed by and accident on the M1 and then another on the A46 when we were nearly home.

So now my journey is over and it is back to 'normal' life. I have very much enjoyed my time in New Zealand and am really glad I went. I have learned a lot from my experiences - including how to live one handed! I made new friends and faced new challenges and by the time I left felt I belonged to the team. One day I hope to return - if only as a visitor next time. Tomorrow sees the return to work and the start of a new adventure when I move to a new role as team leader on the Nottingham City audit. This blog is now ended.

Nearly home

Just a quick post - we arrived in Hong Kong 2 days ago and have been busy sightseeing. The hotel is fantastic and the city manic. I don't think I have ever seen anywhere like it. Last night we went to watch the Laser Light Show and are off there again tonight. Tomorrow night we set off back home - 13 hour flight. Not looking forward to that! I will post again when I get home - well sometime over the weekend anyway and then I can update the blogs with some photos and give you all the low down on Hong Kong

Nearly ready to leave NZ

Today is Saturday - only one more day to go. Since I last posted we have crossed from South to North Island and done a bit of touring on North Island. The crossing on Thursday was great. We got up to a lovely sunny morning and this carried on for the whole day so we had a magical trip up the Queen Charlotte Sound and out into Cook Strait. On the way up from Kaikoura to Picton we passed some basking seals which added to our journey.

Unfortunately there it is very windy but the trip was still OK. Three and a half hours later we were in Wellington - just in time for Thursday night rush hour! We had decided to stop overnight in Masterton - which was actually a duff decision as by the time we got there it was dark and hard to find somewhere to stay. Still we managed in the end. We had rain overnight but when we got up Friday it was dry so we set off for Hastings where we had lunch. We then drove on to Napier but didn't stop. There was a police incident going on in one of the residential areas at the time - the day before someone had shot and killed one policeman and injured 2 others and was holed up in his home. It was all very tense and lasted 50 hours in then end with the dead policeman lying in the street for most of that time as he shot at anyone trying to get to him. Predictably he is dead himself now though. Anyway - we drove on up the coast to Gisborne where we spent last night. Not really that much to see on the way there but when we left today we drove through the Waioeka gorge which was 58 kms long. That was quite something. We passed through Whakatane where we stopped for lunch and then on to Rotorua where we went to visit the Waiomanga Thermal Site. This is home to the world's largest hot spring - much like the Boiling Lake in Dominica which we never actually got to see.

Good visit to the site though - Jerry was really impressed. Because we didn't leave there until 5pm we have stopped overnight in Rotorua. Hotel room has a huge spa pool so I will be in there shortly! Tomorrow we will be going to Auckland via Matamata where there is a place that Jerry wants to see - something to do with hobbits. Next blog is likely to be from Hong Kong!!

Ready to leave the South Island

Well, since I last blogged where have I been? Monday we left Queenstown really early and drove to Milford Sound to do the cruise there. We had a good journey and arrived in plenty of time but unfortunately it is just a bit ticket office for the cruises so we just ate our packed lunch while we waited. Then Paul (one of the other secondees) came off an earlier cruise with his girlfriend. We each had no idea the other was going to be there and in fact seem to be going in opposite directions round the South Island. Paul is being much more adventurous than me though - and taking more time! Anyway, the cruise was really good and we saw lots of waterfalls and some very dramatic mountains. On the way back in we also saw some seals basking on the rocks and then a whole pod of bottle nose dolphins spent quite some time swimming alongside the boat and performing for us so that was a really nice bonus.

After the cruise we set off to see how far we could get towards Dunedin before time overtook us and we had to find a st0p for the night. We made it to Lumsden - a one horse town taking a day off! Still, we found a bed for the night and food and drink so what more did we need? The next morning we set off towards Dunedin, stopping at Gore for a short break en-route and getting into Dunedin at lunch time. Had a bit of a wander round and then visited the Chinese Garden. Mid afternoon we set off again planning to get to Oamaru but decided that actually it was a bit early to stop when we got there so we ended up going as far as Twizel. The weather is not too good at the moment so we have had to plan carefully when we cross over to the North Island. We had intended to cross Friday but Thursday is forecast to be good and Friday bad so we are making the crossing a day early. This has been the reason for pushing on and not stopping anywhere very long. Anyway, today we set off from Twizel to a fair morning although there was low cloud blocking the view of Mount Cook and the other snow covered mountains. However, once we had passed Lake Tekapo, where we stopped for breakfast, it started to rain and didn't stop all day. We made it to Kaikoura though where we have stopped for the night. Two hours up to the ferry at Picton tomorrow morning and then we cross to Wellington. Forecast is good so hopefully a nice drive and a good crossing. Will keep you all posted. sorry there are no photos - haven't been able to upload any yet.

News from our holiday

Yesterday we started our holiday proper from Christchurch. Jerry had picked up the campervan when he arrived on Wednesday and then picked me up at the airport when I arrived on Thursday. We had a relaxed evening in Christchurch then set off on our travels after breakfast on Friday. We had a lovely drive through the mountains and Arthurs Pass where we stopped for a coffee. Before crossing a viaduct just outside the pass we stopped at a viewpoint. Here we encountered 2 Kea (mountain parrots) who obliged for photos.

Whilst taking their photos Jerry had one pecking at his boots - it has managed to rip the stitching and a bit of the fabric! Good job they aren't expensive or new! We arrived down in Greymouth in the middle of the afternoon and again stopped for a walk round then moved on down to Hokitika for the night so that we would have a good start down to Franz Josef Glacier this morning. Found ourselves an OK hotel (not ready to sleep in the campervan yet!) and a meal then made an early night of it. Jerry is still catching up the jet lag! This morning we woke to a crystal clear morning with some fabulous views of the mountains. At the hotel we had seen a plane flight advertised over the glaciers and mountains down to Milford Sound and thought we would try that but the person who runs it didn't seem to want the trip! He didn't answer my message last night and was not at his office at the airport this morning. So at 10am we set of down to Franz Josef. Before we got there we found someone doing helicopter flights (from Whataroa) so we had the chopper for just the 2 of us down over the mountains and glaciers and back - about 45 minutes. It was fantastic and I have taken some video and photos but can't download them at the moment.

Anwyay, after the flight we decided we would make our way down and try to get to Queenstown tonight but events conspired against us. Having filled the van with diesel in Whataroa we had only gone a few kilometres down the road when we encountered a Landcruiser taking a bend too fast and so we got sideswipped! Fortunately no-one was injured - honestly - we are both 100% OK!!! Unfortunately the campervan did not fare so well and we have had to have it recovered and are now spending the night in Franz Josef while we wait for a replacement to be delivered tomorrow. The other driver freely admitted it was his fault - he was rushing his dog to the vet and was distracted. There was a very nice old lady in the bungalow just by the bend where we had the accident and so she looked after us and helped us to get everything sorted out. Everyone had been so nice and really helpful. So the enforced stop here has enabled us to spend some time looking round the village - one big shop really - and an hour in a hot pool. Feel quite relaxed now. Hope to log again soon and will try for some photos then.

Last day

Well today was my last full day at work. I will be in tomorrow morning but that's really a token gesture to hand in the computer and stuff. I was kept busy right to the end of the day but unfortunately we didn't quite make it to finish. The hot review that would have been the end of the process at this stage isn't until 4pm tomorrow so I will already be gone. That's a bit disappointing really because I feel that I didn't really finish the job. Still, I did as much as I could.
Tonight I have been washing and packing - my apartment now looks quite bare and impersonal, much more like the hotel room it really is. Tomorrow I board the plane to Christchurch where I will meet up with Jerry and start our holiday. He has come down from Singapore today.
I am unlikely to blog now for a few days at least as we will be touring the South Island. On 11 May we move on to Hong Kong and arrive back in UK on 15 May. If I don't get to blog between now and then I will complete this blog when I get home.

Prezzies

This morning they had morning tea at work in my honour. Morning tea is a custom here - novel experience, every one stops for a tea break! I shall miss it. Normally that is all it is - chat over tea or coffee and the 5 minute quiz from the Dominion Post but on special occasions we have sandwiches or some other snack too. Today it was my farewell - a few days early but most of the others are going to be away this week, and we had chocolate cake and raspberry & white chocolate muffins. They also had a huge card for me and some prezzies - a greenstone pendant (only ever to be given as a gift and not bought for oneself - various styles with different Maori meanings), a buzzy-bee key ring, Kiwi fruit pieces in chocolate and some NZ fudge (yummy). I was very surprised and touched by their thoughtfulness. Now I know that I will be missed.
I have still had to work hard again today - but only 2 more days to go!!