Day 39 - The voyage home

We opted for a day in Auckland before heading home.  So off we shot for the waterfront where all the action was.  We will be missing... Kiwi meat pies

.... Rugby everywhere

... A little Middle Earth

... and all the friends we met along the way.

We will always carry a warm reflection of New Zealand in our hearts.

The only question left to answer is when will we be back!

We saw beautiful things, had wonderful adventures and made some exquisite friends.  Our trip was successful in every regard and we would not have changed a single thing except having more time in the land of the long white cloud and the ability to share the trip with my wife Correen and my son Elliot. 

39 days and 8991 kilometres later

Her last NZ ice cream

Almost time to go...

So long Auckland, so long New Zealand

Day 38 - Sunny Hamilton Zoo

Today the sun was shining and we were off to find some gifts to take home.  We went into the CBD of Hamilton and parked at a mall.  We walked around spending our money on some nice gifts, a massage for me and more ice cream for Tegan.  There were a number of galleries we visited with some interesting ideas, but the prices were pretty high so we moved on.

 
We considered a waterpark, but settled on the Hamilton Zoo and it was a very pleasant experience. Our favourite animals were the Cockatoos, the Rhinos and the Kakariki; a small green parakeet.

Tegan even found her name etched into some living bamboo stalks.

So with the zoo completed, we made our way for our final destination: Auckland.

Finding a hotel was a little difficult, but after a couple of hours we snagged one and went out shopping for some wine to bring home.  A night in watching TV and organizing our bags for the trip home was in order.  We would be on our way home tomorrow and we were both happy and sad with that news.

Day 37- Taranaki Surfing a Bust!

This morning was a nice bright sunny day, but it didn't last too long.  Mount Taranaki was clear and visible but the closer we got to the mountain the more the clouds encased the mountain in white puffy masses.  I wanted to get some photos of the mountain and headed down a side road in search of a better photograph.  I stopped along a the road that allowed an unobstructed view of the mountains and behold what I thought was the summit turned out to a secondary false summit to the right of the actual summit.  It was a neat experience to see the clouds hide and then reveal what I once mistook to be the summit.

 

When we reached New Plymouth, the skies were pouring down and the thoughts of surfing on this day passed.  We instead browsed shops, looking for gifts and visiting a museum as we explored the streets in the rain.  We departed New Plymouth hoping for better weather in Hamilton.

On the way we snagged a photo of this Kiwi Bird in All Blacks dress. 

 Some meat pies for dinner and some more driving in the rain.  Hamilton was no better off, especially the holiday park we selected... it was situated on the wrong side of the tracks if you know what I mean.  A stroll down some streets in search for some beer turned up empty and left the feeling that the holiday park was the safest location for us.  We watched a movie and then went to sleep hoping that rain we end and tomorrow would be a better day.