On Our Way Home

An update on today, we had a leisurely start, packed without needing the UN. I went for my final New Zealand run, number 23 out of 24 days, only day I missed was when we were on a boat in the middle of Doubtful Sound, good excuse I felt. Then we had lunch at the hotel while overlooking the Queenstown Lake. It was then to the airport for the flight to Auckland, even saw Mt Cook on the way and the sndspit at the end of South Island. Unfortunately the flights give a 5 hour connection in Auckland, so no rush. Fell very sad to be leaving but looking forward to seeing family and friends.

Marion: Well, we’re sitting at Auckland airport with a bit of time on our hands to reflect on our holiday. We have had a really great time and it was everything that we hoped it would be – probably the only real disappointment was the TranzAlpine train. Everything else at least met our imaginings – many exceeded them. NZ is truly a country of great scenery and, despite a very well-organised tourist infra-structure, conservation and ecology methods appear to be working in helping the country avoid being spoiled. Scenery-wise I guess we’d head the list with Doubtful and Milford Sounds. I was also very fond of the coast at Whangamata, turquoise sea rolling onto golden sands. Also the art deco town of Napier and the wine and art deco tours we had there, as well as Nelson and the Able Tasman Park were real highlights. More surprising was Martinborough which looked a real one horse town on first arrival was a place we put on the list of “like to return to”. The case of wine we treated ourselves to is being shipped home from this region. Since being here I find I prefer Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay and have developed a real love of Pinot Noir (the latter is what our shipment home will be!!) Everything has been great and now I am looking forward to coming home and picking up all my usual threads.
Nigel: Coming back to Auckland this evening made me realise how much we have done since we left here 3 weeks ago. It has been a great holiday, a totally different experience from any one we have had before. I think this is because it has such a relaxed feel, people have the knack of being efficient without seeming to try. Everything worked and the only couple of times that I felt hassled was with other groups of tourists. There is also of course the sheer lack of people particularly on South Island. Also of course the lack of pollution, the air seemed so clear particularly for the runner. To me every region had different merits, I loved the remoteness and wild feel of Cape Palliser, marvelled and the volcanic outpourings at Rotorua, and thought that the Tongariro National Park was out of this world. Otherwise I agree with Marion’s thoughts even though she left out the Marlborough Sounds and Able Tasman Park.
Unexpected to me was the amount of running that I managed, encouraged I think by the great and varied environments that I was able to run in. So I shall return fitter though probably heavier due to the great food that we ate. I have started to plan the return trip, although that might not be for sometime yet. Biggest downside is of course the long trip home!