Abel Tasman, Gisborne and Auckland to the finish line

​It’s incredible to think that our five-month journey has come to an end. We spent the past few days in New Zealand going through a range of mixed emotions; we felt all the feels between sad to be leaving and excited to be going home. We’ve also been reflecting on the highlights, favourite memories and best meals. We’re all feeling extremely grateful and appreciative of this unique experience and all the work that went into planning it. Here is a recap of our last week or so. 

We capped off our trip to the South Island at Abel Tasman National Park, one of New Zealand’s most popular parks. We stayed in a very chill campground that had a real backpackers vibe. We played beach volleyball, ping pong and threw darts in between cooking in one of the communal kitchens and exploring the natural landscape at our doorstep. 

We hiked along the coast to a deserted beach one day. 

Theo found a really cool starfish. We couldn’t tell if it was dead or alive. 

And we were visited by a weka, a small flightless bird that often gets confused with the kiwi, but is much more prominent and frankly, annoying. 

The next day we rented sea kayaks and made our way to a different secluded beach, explored caves and a rock formation called Split Apple.

We departed the South Island after two amazing weeks of discovery and headed to a town called Gisborne to cap off our time in the RV. We stayed in a small campground north of the city called Tatapouri Bay, right on the beach, flanked by mountains and fields with horses. 

We surfed, hiked and breathed in every bit of nature we could.

We put a few more hundred kilometres on the RV and listened to the second and third Harry Potter books before we dropped off our RV in Aukland, where we spent the last couple of days reflecting, reminiscing and soaking up every bit of sunshine we could. We checked out some of the sights and allowed ourselves to get into the Christmas spirit, southern style. 

We spent the day hiking a volcanic Island called Rangitoto, a 20-minute ferry ride ride from downtown. I was struck by the contrasting colours here; turquoise blue water, black rocks, lush green trees and deep red flowers. 

It feels like we have come full circle — having started our trip in the summer and capping it off as New Zealand sinks into their summer; the flowers are in full bloom, the corn is already growing high and the days are long. 

I’m dedicating this final chapter of my blog to a very special person I lost recently. My aunt Barbara (Auntie B) passed away peacefully on December 8. She read my blog faithfully until she was taken ill, and was delighted to follow along as much as she could, sending me emails full of positive messages and thoughtful remarks. 

Thanks to all of YOU for following along over the past five months as well and for encouraging me to keep with it. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. 

Peace out!