Honeymoon – Deserted Hong Kong airport

We arrived into Hong Kong at 4:30am local time. It’s quite odd walking through and empty airport, knowing that in a few hours it will be buzzing with throngs of people shopping before their flights. It was just us and maintenance staff. The longue wasn’t open so I surfed while Ali dozed. Using a Chinese keyboard was interesting, but what was really surreal was that I was shopping on amazon, while sat in Hong Kong, having just gone from Christchurch to Sydney. I’m having to stop thinking of what day it is, what time it is because it’s confusing me. 

The showers in the longue were amazing, and just what we needed. A huge room, all the toiletries you could want and a big white fluffy towel. This flying long haul lark isn’t so bad.  I can’t bring myself to eat dim sum and Chinese food at 5am though so that element of the buffet breakfast will be missed.

On plane 3 of 3, with an upstairs to first class. Alas, it was an old plane with old business class so the seats faced the other way, you could see others in business class and the seats were smaller. The new design is much better but hey ho, we could still stretch our legs. 13 hours of naps, snacks, food at random times of the day, multiple films and then we were in London in a daydream. Heathrow express, tube in rush hour and then a packed commuter train home. To cap it all off, the taxi we booked picked up someone else instead of us, and then it happened a second time. 25 minutes of waiting and we were finally home. The UK is covered in snow, Ali had to defrost the car to pick up the boy. I love travelling, and opening Christmas cards in December but it's so nice to have our family back together. 

Honeymoon – Oh I love business class

I’m not sure that honeymoon’s are meant to be this exhausting but we are shattered. We drove to Christchurch airport, via Andy’s work to dump the waste water and then dropped off the campervan. I loved the camper, it was hard to say goodbye. Onto the airport, only to be told that we have a 3 hour delay and may not make our connection in Sydney. Sad to leave New Zealand but it’s time to get back to normality. We can certainly say that we have seen a lot of South Island. We won’t see Matthew and Andy for another two years until they next visit the UK but it was so amazing to see them. 

With just 2 flights leaving from Christchurch in the afternoon, I wouldn’t say the airport was buzzing but the money off voucher from the airline came in very handy for a 3 course dinner before the flight. We waited and waited, and consoled ourselves with the free wifi. Eventually we boarded the plane and were off for 3 hours, and onto business class.  The flight was going on to Dubai and I’ve become snobby, but I really wouldn’t want to fly all the way home in economy. We just need to win the lottery to travel business for other flights. 

A dash through Sydney airport because we only had an hour before the next plane left. However, it was 9pm at night and 26 degrees outside and the air conditioning inside was obviously struggling with the heat because it was boiling. We made it in time, even had chance to nip into the business class lounge, then back in business class and flat beds. One film, one dinner with a cocktail to start with almonds, then appetiser of smoked chicken, main of salmon, pre dessert, cheese course and then praline! I could get used to this. Nap time, ear buds in, eye mask on, duvet and pillow at the ready.

Honeymoon – Albatross, helicopter and seal swim

A very early start for our last full day in New Zealand. We drove from Hanmer Springs to Kaikora, 2 hours at a push but we went on the inland road with its twists and turns. At one point Ali got carried away at 120km/h to get to the albatross encounter in time. We made it by the skin of our teeth. We were taken to the harbour and to our surprise, we were told to jump on a boat that was on land, on a trailer. We were then launched into the water. 

Our guide Tracey took us our to see and it wasn’t long ebfore the albatross followed us. We didn’t go too far from shore when we saw 2 fisherman waving their arms up and down. Their engine didn’t work, so we stayed with them while Tracey called the coastguard. The chow bag was lowered into the water called albatross ice cream (frozen fish livers). We saw the giant petrels (the vultures of the sea) who were big bullies and didn’t want to share their food. The wandering, salvins and white capped albatross followed and they had first dibs on the ice cream, but only one at a time. The numerous cape pigeons had no chance of getting to the ice cream. Our thanks to Jean-Louis and Danielle for the treat.

Back on shore via the trailer again and onto our next stop, whale watching by helicopter thanks to my mum and dad. We were weighed before we got on the helicopter as it was the smallest I’ve ever been in, with only 4 seats, and one of those is the pilots. Ali sat in the front and off we went for 30 minutes to spot sperm whales who lie on the surface of the water for 8 minutes before diving down for 45 minutes again. We found one of the regulars to Kaikora, the bachelor pad for the sperm whale. We circled the whale over and over again and then watched it raise its fluke and down it went. It’s absolutely huge, you can fit two helicopters on its back alone and seeing it from the sky meant that we saw the whole whale in the turquoise water. We travelled back along the beach, looking into peoples back gardens and tourists taking our picture. 

Our last stop of our hectic day was a seal swim, back to the place we visited on the boat in the morning. On with a wet suit, then another wetsuit jacket, a wetsuit hat! You can tell how cold it’s going to be! We boarded an old school bus, had to walk bare foot over the rocks and tons of sea weed to board the boat. We were then instructed to go over the side, Ali with her surfboard to keep her afloat. The swell was so strong that it was quite a workout to stay in place. We swam with the seals and watched them swim between the kelp. One dodgy moment was when one of them threatened me by coming towards me with it’s teeth showing! Back on land via driving up onto a trailer again, then a long drive back to Diamond Harbour for our last night with Matthew and Andy.

Honeymoon - Abel Tasman National Park isolation and resting in Hanmer Springs

I eat my words, I had thought the crampt campsite would be noisy in the morning but all I could hear when I woke up was the birdsong. We even had a duck and 8 chicks come to say hello. On with the morning routine of cooking the breakfast, then at 8am an air raid siren went on for a couple of minutes! Don’t have a clue why. We drove the whole 100m to the car park next door to the campsite, ready for our tour. 

We boarded the Wilson company catamaran called Vista to take is into Abel Tasman National Park thanks to Iwan for treating us. Guess who we saw, a couple that we saw on the Taieri Gorge Railway in Dunedin, weeks ago! We cruised up the park stopping at the split apple rock and then got off at Bark Bay, down the gang plank into the sea and up the white sand beach. On with the hiking shoes, and off to find the Bark Bay waterfall, about an hour and 30 minutes roundtrip walk which was lovely. We followed the beach, with drops into the turquoise water. It was sunny and hot. I must admit, we thought the waterfall was smaller than described, but good none the less. We only saw 2 other walkers, it was lovely to be so isolated. 

Back to the beach and back on the boat to Kaiteriteri and the hustle and bustle. However, we got out of there as soon as we could. People were on their boats, paddle boarding, jet skiing, sun bathing…far too much going on for our liking so instead we drove for 6 hours to Hanmer Springs along the Lewis Pass. 

Our thanks to Paula for treating us to tickets for Hanmer Springs spa. It was absolutely boiling today, 28.5 the high and what did we do, got in the hottest pool first when all e wanted was a cold bath. Sadly being short sighted and pools don’t mix because we can’t see the signs. We moved from pool to pool. Some of the pools were sulphur and it took us back to Iceland which was almost two months ago. If you shut your eyes, it was like we were back in the blue lagoon before the wedding. I went in the lazy river which was too cold for Ali, and we chilled. An excellent end, and sadly tonight is our last nights sleep in our camper.

Honeymoon - Farewell spit and campsite palaces

Breakfast looking out over the sea to Farewell spit, you can’t beat it. A very early start for the farewell spit tour which is tide dependant as a lot of the time the majority of it is under water. It looks like a kiwi nose out the top of New Zealand and is a nature reserve for birds. Many thanks to Team Saunders and Rachael and Keith who treated us to the trip, we loved it. 

The day started on our big old Bedford truck. We drove from Collingwood onto the spit and our first stop was the fossil beach. All 24 people swarmed a seal which wasn’t good, later they were all over the place, you couldn’t miss them. I really dislike it when people get too close, especially since going to Galapagos and islands where animals aren’t scared of you. The spit was covered in oystercatchers, Ali was in heaven. We saw godwits, gannets, shags, fur seals and lots of jellyfish. 

We visited the lighthouse at the end of the spit for morning coffee and lunch. Now automated, previously it was occupied by married lighthouse men for 3 years a go, never leaving the lighthouse in that time. The sun was blazing, not a cloud in the sky, and the tree cover at the lighthouse was very welcome. We sat under a tree, eating our sandwiches in tin foil and reflected on the trip. 

We climbed one of the sand dunes and I resembled the lizard on a TV ad years ago…hot hot hot hot…as I ran over the sand. It was literally burning my feet so I had to keep kicking the sand out of my shoes and running along it. Ali thought it was hilarious and watched! Some ran down the face of the dune, but my feet needed water so I bathed in the Tasman sea between the jellyfish I had to jump over. 

The sea was such a gorgeous colour and so clear. We visited Cape Farewell, the furthermost point of South Island. So, we have visited the Southern most post, the Western most point and now the Northern most point. Just the east to go! The arch at the cape was beautiful and we can’t believe the weather. I’m getting very confused with the weather, when discussing with Ali about what we can cook Brigitte on her visit, I blurted out that we could have a BBQ!!!

We arrived into Kaiteriteri motor camp and it’s one my family would always avoid, crowded and tent to tent with no gaps in between. I thought it was because the pitches are small, but it’s not, everyone has filled their pitch with their huge tent, they pup tents, their gazebo and their boat! I kid you not, boats on the pitches. On a wander around the campsite, one palace had carpet and  3 piece suite inside. This isn’t camping. Why is it that people take a stroll around the campsite and look in everyone’s abode too. In fact, that’s what I did. We had to dump waste and empty the toilet for the first time and as the waste pipe doesn’t fit and I had to hold it instead, it’s not something I want to relive again.