From Now to January......: Wrapping it up in New Zealand and feeling just a tiny bit homesick

Tui Bird, taken at our last campground. He has a beautiful song.

Tonight is our last night in New Zealand. Tomorrow we head to Hawaii, first to Honolulu for a week and then to the Big Island for 17 days. Nick and Amanda will be joining us for part of the time and it will be nice to reconnect with family.

This has been an amazing journey. As I have stated in previous posts, Rick and I know this has been a once in a life time event. For Rick it has been a time to decompress, stop being a department head, and connect and build relationships with people in various parts of the world. For me, it was a chance to live abroad, experience different cultures and spend quality time with Rick. Rick knows he will be spending more time in Ljubljana and he hopes that he will be able to return to University of Queensland. Both of us would like to spend more time in New Zealand, two weeks does not do this country justice.

I don't have a lot of photos to share at this point. After returning the camper on Tuesday we headed to Hamilton for the conference. Beside going to Hobbiton, we were to do a harbor cruise in Raglan and I had a list of 2 or 3 things I wanted to see in Hamilton. On Wednesday morning Rick headed to his meeting and I decided it was time to go explore; I walked out of the hotel and went about 30 feet when I tripped on the sidewalk and fell flat on my face! Blood was going everywhere! A lady came to my assistance and got me back to the hotel. They got Rick, called the ambulance and started cleaning me up. Fortunately, I did not need stitches and nothing was broken. I just have a badly cut lip and abrasions on my face and knee. I'm fortunate that I fell so close to the hotel. When I realize how often I was out and about by myself in Vienna, Ljubljana and Brisbane and unable to call Rick, it is a bit scary now. We decided to skip the harbor cruise so I could rest. We managed to visit the Hamilton Botanical Gardens for about an hour, but mostly I just rested. Eating has been difficult because of the cuts inside my lips...even drinking hurts. The injuries feel worse on days three and four. Today we did not do much exploring in Auckland. We walked to the university, walked through the art gallery and had high tea. The weather has been cool and drizzly. We had planned to walk to one of the parks for a Christmas festival this evening. They were to have free music and fireworks, but we didn't go because of the weather, but to our delight we were able to see the fireworks from our hotel window.

I told Rick that I have been somewhat homesick the past few days. I am sure the injuries contribute to the feeling, along with knowing we are about to leave. I felt the same when I first got sick in Italy and again in Ljubljana. Even though we won't be heading right back to Blacksburg, just being in Hawaii will feel like being back home. One thing I have learned is that home is a relative term. The most important thing is Rick and I being together not our possessions. It is amazing how little a person really needs, however, I will be happy to be among my own stuff again. I am looking forward to seeing my friends, cuddling with my pets and getting back into my old routine I am sure reentry will be somewhat difficult, just getting back into the routine of taking care of the house will take some getting use to. After all, I have not used a vacuum cleaner since June!

So on to Hawaii! Looking forward to warm weather, sitting on the beach, seeing whales and dolphins, drinking Kona coffee and eating Maui chips!