The Final Leg.

After a restful week in Auckland with Dot’s sister Mary and husband Tony it was time to make the final flight back to Wellington. Tony took time out from his busy schedule to run us to the airport and we were there with plenty of time to spare but with flying it’s no use leaving things to the last minute.

A good flight down the West Coast gave us a good view of Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu, (both active volcanos) with a good coating of snow. Even though the countryside was covered by cloud the mountains stood out proud and tall. Mount Ruapehu is the home of the North Island ski fields.

Flying into Wellington over Cook Strait we spotted a couple of the Interisland ferries travelling between Wellington in the North Island to Picton in the South Island before touching down to a smooth landing. Dot’s son Brent had taken a couple of hours off to come and pick us up rather than mess around with the airport bus back to the Hutt Valley.

Howick, Auckland.

We were again treated to another fine winters day so took a trip out to Howick Beach. Although small in comparison to Pt Chevalier Beach it was still a safe beach for families. There were area’s of the beach where there was no sand, just volcanic rock which had the appearance similar to the Rotorua mud pools which had become solid as the volcanic activity cooled and solidified. As I had forgotten to take my camera all the photos were taken with my phone (something I haven’t done before) with surprising results.

Howick Beach.

Volcanic rock at Howick Beach. Looks like mud pools that have suddenly gone hard.

Last night we dined out at an Indian restaurant called Indian Summer that Mary and Tony frequented and we were not disappointed. We ordered 4 different dishes and bread’s so that we could sample a wide variety which was a treat.

Launching a boat Kiwi style at Howick Beach.

Is this really an Auckland Winters Day.

Today we were feeling a great deal better after getting a good nights kip last night. We had been willing ourselves to stay awake all yesterday afternoon but by 7pm Dot couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and I followed about an hour later.

Pt Chevalier Beach on a beautiful August afternoon.Just a hop step and jump down from the car park.

When we awoke we found the place surrounded in thick mist with visibility only about 200 yards but by about 9am the sun had broken through and we have had a glorious day. It was too nice a day to stay home so we headed off to Point Chevalier Beach where Mary knew of a nice little cafe. There we had lunch in the sun before strolling down to the beach where we had a brilliant view of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and Rangitoto Island beyond. Todays weather has been better than we experienced during June and July back in the UK.

Henderson across from Coyle Park, Point Chevalier.Taken  at Coyle Park with the Auckland Harbour Bridge as a back drop. Rangitoto Island is beyond the bridge.

Aotearoa. The Land of the Long White Cloud

Our last Kiwiburger at GBK in Wimbledon before heading home.

The first leg of our journey from London to Singapore was an eleven and a half hour journey aboard a Qantas Airbus A380-800. Having never flown in one of these aircraft it was an interesting experience. The on board entertainment was a touch screen TV in the back of each seat. Along with the usual flight path maps there is a “Skycam” which is a camera mounted in the tail of the aircraft looking along the length of the fuselage encompassing the majority of the wings and engines. This is very interesting upon take off and landings but rather boring in flight. The only complaint we had about it was the air conditioning unit which was very efficient but the temperature was too low as we had to keep the blanket wrapped around us the whole time. Being a night flight we tried to get some sleep with limited success.

Bored stiff at Heathrow and we haven’t even started yet.

After a three hour wait in Singapore we boarded our next aircraft to Brisbane, This was supposed to be a Boeing 767 but was changed to a 747-400. Being an older aircraft and not quite so swish the entertainment unit was the old TV in the back of the seat but with a remote control in the armrest. This again was a night flight but only 7½ hour duration. Long enough to watch a movie during supper and then try and get some sleep.

Again we had a 3 hour wait between flights which at least gave us a break to stretch our legs. Other than watching the planes coming and going we could watch the local train service which ran along behind the airport. Plane number 3 was a new series Boeing 737 with the upturned wing tips flown by a woman pilot. Prior to take off she warned us that there were strong winds out over the Tasman Sea and she would attempt to fly around them but we could be in for a bumpy ride. Half way through serving lunch somewhere around Lord Howe Island we started to bounce around like corks on the ocean. Thankfully this only lasted about 10 –15 minutes and the remainder of this 2½ hour flight was very smooth.

Upon arrival in Auckland we tried to pass through Customs using our new self scan passports but the machine refused to recognise us but we still got fast tracked through with first class passengers. We were met by Dot’s sister Mary and husband Tony with whom we will be staying until next Wednesday when we make the final leg of our trip to Wellington.

New Zealand on Qantas Airways!

By the time you read this we will be winging our way home courtesy of Qantas Airlines.  Although we would prefer to travel with our national airline ‘Air New Zealand’ we had enough air points to make our final return flight on the Australian national carrier.

Our story will continue in our home country soon. Give us a few days to get over that Jet lag first.

This isn’t the end, just a new beginning.

To all our fellow bloggers and blog followers we wish you all health,wealth and happiness.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of the waterways with it’s fellow bloggers who we will miss but will hopefully keep in touch. To all our blog followers, thank you for your support and good wishes. What started as a means of keeping in contact with friends and family overseas blossomed into something neither of us ever dreamed of, 90726 visitors from 148 countries in just under 5 years must be some sort of record.

As the saying from an old TV programme “ Now you all come on back now.”

Hyde Park.

With greatly improved weather we headed off into London. We had a bit of a false start as we called into the local Lloyds bank to check on some arrangements we had been trying to get sorted. Once eventually underway we caught the bus to Surbiton station to catch a South West train service into Waterloo. Once there it was down onto the underground to Hyde Park.

Knightsbridge London.

The horse lane through Hyde Park.

Hyde Park Rose gardens.

At the park hundreds of people were taking advantage of the fine weather. Down at the Serpentine there was a steady stream of people hiring the pedal boats for a cruise around the lake. Eventually our feet started complaining with so much walking so we headed back to the underground. At Waterloo we decided not to catch the train straight away but wander out to the Embankment and the London Eye. The crowds here were horrendous with a 30 minute wait to go on the “Eye” but we managed to squeeze through and have an ice cream overlooking the river. At 3pm Big Ben sounded off which gave me the feeling it was a parting gesture from London.

Beautiful displays in Hyde Park.

The cycleway, horse lane and pedestrian walk through Hyde Park.

The Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Back at the flat we had to cancel the insurance on the motorhome as it’s now safely out of the country. With not having a scanner or printer at present this presented a problem but Sarah, the lady of the house said she had the required equipment upstairs and we were welcome to use it. Now this has been done it’s another chore ticked off the must do list.

Hyde Park and a lovely day for a picnic.

You wouldn't believe this was Hyde Park in the middle of London.

Westminster and Big Ben.