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.
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.
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.
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.
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