The 'road' to Paihia

We picked up our new home for the next 4 weeks and made out way to Paihia, on our way Mr Garmin thought he knew a shortcut, however we ended up on what could only be loosely described as a Road, we eventually found somebody who pointed us in the way of civilisation!
We eventually arrived at our destination about an hour or so added to the journey.

Never trust a GPS!!

Our Jucy camper: She's a sow on diesel!

Going to NZ...take 2

So after a night at Hughesy's and a morning of lifting his new floor through a window, we made our way back to the airport, so we proceeded to the checkin desk with our $4500 Air New Zealand Flight to London and everything was fine...or so we thought, we arrived to immigration and Tina was pulled aside for 'overstaying her visa', long story short it was all good and they were sound even thought it was their poxy system that screwed everything up....the fun shall begin on the return flight to Australia!!

....An 'Airport' style encounter

Well bags all packed, apartment cleaned and keys handed back, twas the day from hell, firstly during the cleanup the hob decided to crap an element and tripped the 63a breaker in the Energy Australia Meter room which we'd no access to, emergency call out and $99 later the powers sorted.

So off to the Airport we went unusually early, nearly 4 hours before hand, off to check in the bags when Tina was told she had no visa? We obviously showed them the print out of the visa but they said we would need a tourist visa in order to return to enter New Zealand, so here's where it all makes sense , you can't apply for a tourist visa within Australias borders and NZ won't allow you in without onward travel to a destination where you'd no visa restrictions, after much arguing and calls to both Australia and NZ immigration we were told we'd have to book a flight home in order to enter NZ, lunacy I thought and the Checkin people weren't much help with suggestions, giving all sorts of conflicting information which delayed us alot.

So we have 50 minutes to book a refundable flight to London, Dublin, etc from NZ so after finding somewhere the flight closes in 5 minutes and my card gets declined 3 times, so we missed the flight and it's looking like a night in the airport, Tina pulled the waterworks so we weren't charged to be put on the next flight, all we had to do now was find an alternative to pay for a ticket.

After a bottle of wine at the airport to calm the stress, we were ready for a sleepless night, but hughesy (my old boss) came to the rescue and put us up for the night so we did get a middling sleep in the end...

Leaving Australia

Well the time had to come, we're leaving to explore what this planet has to offer. I'm sad leaving all the sound people I've met along the way and worked with in BT especially, well I got a smile when presented a few of these specially modified New Zealand 20 Dollar Note (although it's probably an accurate picture of her at her age) the author of this modification shall remain nameless (sorry I meant Shameless)!

Well time to pack my life into a 75 litre rucksack!

Skydive

I was traveling at 200kmph today....no, I wasn't on the M6..... I was free falling from 14000 feet to be precise, unbelievable experience hard to put it into words....JUST DO IT! Shouts to Skydive the Beach, Woolongong and Greg my instructor for a nerveless jump and comfy landing!

Bon Voyage

Well all good things come to an end, so it's time to start are next voyage of discovery, so next stop is NZ at the end of the month, followed by a trip around Australia then hopping to see SE Asia, China, Japan and off to South America for a while! I'll be thinking of you all while I'm supping whiskey from a sandcastle bucket on some Thai beach.

Possums in the park

These delightful critters appreciate a good McDonalds, they are unbelievably tame, they don't mind you rubbing them..

Kung Fu Possum