Overnight in Auckland

Unsurprisingly there was no direct flight from Fiji to Chile so we had to stop off in New Zealand between. Although this stalled the next part of our adventure it actually worked out very well for us because it meant spending another night with our lovely friends in Auckland.

After a long and emotional journey we were overjoyed to come through the arrivals gates to see Nick and Nikki there waiting for us with open arms. They've looked after us so well since being on this side of the world, like our parents of a parallel universe.

We arrived 'home' early evening and whilst Nikki began preparations for her amazing home-cooked lasagne, Nick lined up wine glasses outside ready for a final 'cheers' at sunset. From their perfect garden viewpoint, it was as stunning as ever and I was so pleased to have had the chance to see it just one last time. 

As it turned out, however, it was not the last time as we found ourselves in the same spot, admiring the same view the very next evening. Our flight to Santiago, which was initially scheduled to leave at four o'clock Sunday afternoon was delayed until the early hours of Monday morning. 

Luckily though we discovered the news as soon as we woke up and so weren't put out at all. In fact, quite the opposite! We had a lovely relaxed morning, ate eggs, bacon and 'stuffy stuff' at the family's favourite cafe down the road and then hit the shops to stock up on last minute New Zealand chocolates. 

Later, Nikki put on a Sunday roast which was the first we've had since leaving England and was just amazing. It certainly beat plane food and by the time we'd finished eating we were half wishing our flight could be delayed a further ten hours. 

Returning to Auckland was the perfect way to end our Australasian adventure and to grasp onto a final few home comforts before backpacking around South America. I can't say I know anybody on that side of the world so I imagine the next time I feel this at home will be when I actually am! 

There and Back Again, New Zealand

I never imagined it would be easy to leave New Zealand but it really has pulled out all the stops in our last couple of days. 

We arrived back to our family friends' (beautiful!) house in Auckland on our penultimate evening and were welcomed in with a cup of tea and a catch up. Whereas when we stayed previously the family were away on holiday, this time they were around and keen to show us their wonderful city. After making plans for our final day we headed to bed early, exhausted from the twelve hour journey.

The next morning we woke to the smell of bacon and hot croissants and quite literally sprung out of bed. After saying an emotional goodbye to our hire vehicle we piled into Nick and Nikki's spare car and met them both at the top of Mount Eden. From there we had the most amazing three hundred and sixty degree views of the city in the glorious sunshine. Looking around us it was hard to comprehend why Auckland hasn't been named the capital city of New Zealand. Having driven through the entire country it really is the only place we've seen that can warrant being called a city of any sort. 

Even so, Nick told us that there's only approximately one million inhabitants in Auckland. This sounds small (and is!) but it's equivalent to a quarter of the country's entire population! We laughed in amazement as we compared this to England which is smaller in land mass but has over sixty million people, eight million of which are crammed into London. That's double the number of people in London alone than in the whole of New Zealand! 

Anyway, from the top of Mount Eden Nick pointed out to us where we were heading next; the beach town, St Helliers. Just a short drive from the city sits a beautiful beach which looks out onto a volcanic island. We stopped there for lunch at a bistro on the corner which was a real treat. Between us we shared lamb, chicken, fish, pizzetta and a beetroot salad which were all incredible and so beautifully presented. I haven't eaten that luxuriously since my media days in London! Somehow we left enough room for dessert and so ordered a round of homemade knickerbocker glories with honeycomb flavouring, or as the Kiwis call it, 'hokey pokey.'

As New Zealand is so famous for its wines it seemed absolutely essential that we visit a winery before we left. Fortunately, Nikki knew all the best ones in the area and took us to a couple for some tastings. The staff were brilliant and taught us the best techniques for testing wines before letting us try all of their favourites. We fell in love with the Pinot Gris as well as (rather surprisingly!) their Port, and so picked up a couple of bottles for later that evening.

On our way back to the house we stopped at a pub on the riverside which puts all those in England to shame. It really is so beautiful here that it's easy to see why our friends have made the move and not looked back. 

As a thank you for their overwhelming kindness over the last month the four of us offered to cook the family dinner on our last night. We attempted to recreate one of the recipes that Hana and I learnt on our Thai cooking course, the infamous massaman curry, and although it wasn't perfect I think it went down well! 

Any mention of being sad to be leaving New Zealand has mostly been met with rolled eyes as our next destination is Fiji - not exactly the worst place in the world to be heading! However, even our excitement to explore the islands can't mask the heartache of leaving such an amazing country that has been nothing but kind to us since the moment we arrived. 

New Zealand, New Adventures

As our plane descended into Auckland airport, it looked as though we were landing straight onto the set of The Lord of the Rings. Endless green hills surrounded the runway, so similar to the Shire that I half expected Bilbo Baggins himself to meet us on the other side. Sadly he did not, but in his place stood Sam, a friend of a family friend who had offered to pick us up and take us back to their house where we were staying for a few days. After months of arriving in countries clueless and alone, he was as much of a hero in our eyes as any hobbit who'd saved Middle Earth. 

And that was before we'd even seen the house! This place was incredible, right on the sea front with the most amazing views out across the water. We had a double room each, a swimming pool and jacuzzi, and they'd even left a car for us to use whilst they were away on vacation for the long weekend. We felt so lucky to know people so kind and willing to share their beautiful home with us and couldn't believe how far we'd come in the last twelve hours, not only in distance but standards of living too! 

Hana and I were both keen to jump into our big comfy beds but but we had to wait up for Jodie and Erica who were due to arrive a few hours later. Having not seen them both for four months we'd have been too excited to sleep anyway! It was awesome to finally be reunited and as soon as we'd finished catching up it was as though they'd been there all along. As Jodie ran around our room chasing the giant beetles away and Erica made plans to bake fairy cakes the next day, we found ourselves wondering how we'd ever survived without them at all! 

The majority of our time in Auckland was spent organising the rest of the trip ahead. We kept ourselves busy, researching the best places, planning our route, finding a car of our own and then most importantly deciding on a suitable name for it (conclusion, Frodo.) That said, we somehow found time for some real fun too. On our second evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset dinner followed by a wine and jacuzzi session with the girls. The third night though arguably less civilised, was even more fun, exploring Auckland's nightlife with Sam and his friends. 

We were all sad to say goodbye to the amazing house and its equally as amazing inhabitants but we'll be passing through again at the end of our trip so have it all to look forward to in the very near future. Until then we're excited for all the new adventures that New Zealand has in store!