nearlyhere

… and it’s good to be home. When first contemplating a visit to NZ, we just didn’t think two weeks would be long enough to catch up with family and friends and tick off a few essential hometown attractions, but as short as our stay was, it was far sweeter than expected.We travelled to the coromandel, to find Onemana exactly how we left it, and Pohutukawa fringed Octopus Bay calm, pristine and deserted. With our freind Matt, we bodysurfed in clear waters at Tawharanui. We saw our mums, brothers & sisters, took photos with Lachlan and Connor, and visited the museum with Isla.  Julz and Rose walked with us through the Titirangi Bush to a Kauri grove. I met my two nephews, and Laura held her new neice. We danced in the dust, in a shaggy west coast paddock, with the rising sun on our faces, and our mates around us. Some things have changed and some things haven’t, surprisingly: It was a bit of a shock to discover that Brazil had disappeared from K’Rd, along with its heart-palpitating coffee (a heart-clogging burger joint has taken its place); Kingsland has herniated another mega rugger pub, and  a wee railway station for commuters on the western line has transformed Newmarket’s Kingdon Street into a pedestrians’ haven. But perhaps the change that struck me the most, was how returning to Auckland with fresh eyes, i could see myself living there again – some day in the not too distant future.The hardest part of returning to Victoria, has been deciding how much Whittakers chocolate to give away to our freinds here, or how much to keep for ourselves. Included in the pack of NZ goodies were tubs of Arataki Manuka Honey, a bag of Milo, a large jar of Marmite and two packets of Gingernuts … pure goodness. Just a note; in exchange for twinkies and rootbeer flavoured cordial mix, we are quite open to receiving further care packages from Zild. Here’s a glimpse of our good times.