On Wednesday it was with much reluctance that we gathered up our things and prepared to head to Auckland's airport for a short flight back to Christchurch. We spent some time talking to one of our hosts about their bee keeping operation since we were given a parting guest gift of some of their honey. The valley on their property is littered with manuka tea shrubs. Unless you were paying close attention, it was difficult to see the honeybees and they zipped up and down the hill all day long. It was fun to observe during our stay. At the lodge our hosts had only been "renting" the bee boxes that are managed by a neighbor. In one year the four boxes had become home to some 60,000 bees and the result was something like 40 kilograms of honey.
Our hosts' "bee expressway"
After departing the B&B the rest of the trip was pretty much a slog of airplanes and layovers. After a four-hour hop back to Fiji and a three-hour layover, we took off on Thursday night and landed in LAX on Thursday afternoon. That's what happens when you cross the International Dateline in an easterly direction! We landed in Baltimore at around 6 am on Friday and have spent the weekend so far trying to be on as normal a sleep schedule as possible. It's a little tough for me because I have to fly BACK to Los Angeles for a few days of training for work. Boo....
I don't have much else to add here except that this vacation has been amazing in many different ways and I'm thankful that Hans and I had the time and resources to make this trip happen. Not paying for airfare helped a lot. Cashing in our air miles meant that we had to travel during the shoulder season, which means chillier weather for sure, but it was so worth it!
The people of New Zealand were absolutely lovely and I liked their no-nonsense approach to everything. As for the scenery, it just doesn't get much better.
To end this trip, I've decided to include some pictures that didn't make the cut for earlier posts for one reason or another. Collectively I'm sure we took over 3,000 photos (and I am being conservative here) so there was a lot to sort through and when you're on the road sometimes images get looked over. I enjoy keeping this blog while traveling but it is definitely a lot of work.
Downtown Christchurch
Trying to plan the next day after jailbreak.
A hot water bottle was a must in the chilly cell.
Passing the other Interislander in Cook Straight
The tour entrance to the Weta Workshop
Panorama inside the archway at Cathedral Cove
A little touristy fun on our first night in Christchurch
Thanks for following along, everyone! If you want to return to the start of this trip and re-live the awesomeness, click here. To read about past trips, click on the Archive link at the header of this blog.
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