So, the past few days have disappeared in a flurry of wedding-related activities, BBQs and trips to the beach. As I am now on a 52KB modem, I can’t upload any photos, so you’ll have to take it from me that the weather was fantastic and the occasion was even better.

I asked Will what he was looking forward to doing most. “Sleeping in my bed” was the reply. To be fair, he has been on a huge journey and I’ve no idea what he is going to remember, but he has handled himself incredibly well and done us proud.

Before leaving, I made certain assumptions about internet access in NZ that have proven completely wrong. It made me realise how much we now take swift access for granted. There is a whole generation here for whom the internet and digital access is still a poor user experience andf it has been interesting to see how many of the sites that I have tried to access simply haven’t catered for this. Most surprising for me has been that I couldn’t access work mail at all. No idea why, so I’ll talk to Mark about it when I get back.

Also, I made certain assumptions about terminology that have also proven to be incorrect. A ‘town’ in NZ could be a couple of houses, a high street or a thriving community. A road can be ‘sealed’, ‘unsealed’ or ‘4WD’. And camper vans can definitely travel on 4WD.

I’m looking forward to going home. Seeing my family and settling back down to normal life. NZ is a fantastic country, but I’m not quite sure I’m ready to settle here…

…see you at Terminal 3 🙂