Fri 8 Sept - Flew out from Narita on a stinking hot day.....wow, certainly doesn't feel like I've been gone a year. Air NZ has improved its standards with personal entertainment systems so you can choose your movie, TV show, listen to music or play games. The plane was half empty so I could kinda strech out across 3 seats and get a bit of shuteye.
Sat 9 Sept - Arrived in Auckland on a miserable cold day....was picked up by Mike and we went back to his place for the day where I caught up with Claire and met my nephew Jack for the first time. He's a gorgeous little baby....seems very inquisitive and happy. Mum and Dad came up in the evening. Very lazy day as I tried to recover from the flight.
Sun 10 Sept - A big surprise this morning for Mum and Dad when Steve walked in the door a week ahead of schedule. We then went and picked up Aki (she had to come a day later because of work) and we all went to the Auckland viaduct for lunch. It was another wet day so we didn't look around much before hitting the highway to Hamilton. After getting home we went and surprised Nicky, Ian and the kids then went home for another early nights sleep for all the tired travellers.
Mon 11 Sept - Went and paid off half my student loan....so much money, but it felt good! We had a look at "The Base" in Te Rapa. Hamilton sure is growing fast in the North. Paid a surprise visit to Nana, she was so happy to see us. Had a big roast dinner at home and got ready for our road trip starting tomorrow.
Tue 12 Sept - Time to show Aki some sights of New Zealand. We started heading south to Waitomo where we went Black Water Rafting. It was an awesome experience being in the dark caves, jumping off underground waterfalls and seeing the glow worms. I highly recommend ths for anyone that hasn't tried it!! We then went to Taupo for the night.
Wed 13 Sept - Played mini-golf in the morning. Steve made the call that the loser had to take a dip. Aki took a big lead after the first 9, but I came through to take the Taupo title while Steve went for a swim in the Lake. Stopped for a quick look at Huka Falls then headed up to Rotorua and went luging. It was great fun as usual. After that we went to Rainbow Springs and the Kiwi house where we saw a newborn Kiwi...very cute! We then went to Roshannas house for the night.
Thu 14 Sept - Steve stayed at Roshannas while Aki and I kept moving, firstly to Mount Maunganui. We had lunch and relaxed on the beach, then we climbed up Mauao. Aki got to see lots of sheep and lambs on the way down. After that we had a quick look at Tauranga then drove up to Whangamata for the night.
Fri 15 Sept - Went to Hot Water Beach but it was high tide so we went to Cathedral Cove for the afternoon and relaxed on the beach. We then drove home rather exhausted and had an early night.
Sat 16 Sept - Got up early and went to the Frankton Markets and then went for a look around town which was like a ghost town. Got home and started preparing for a BBQ. Was stoked when everyone turned up and we had a great time catching up. Very late night but also very fun!!
Sun 17 Sept - Got woken up early when Glenn, Lisa and Carlos popped in. Carlos is a gorgeous baby, full of laughs just like his Dad! Went to the Rose Gardens for the afternoon, but it was pretty dull, flowers not blooming yet. Had a lovely dinner at the Morgans.
Mon 18 Sept - In the morning we went for a bike ride along the Waikato River then had a round of golf with Hutch and Aki. With the Brae title on the line, I somehow came through and got my first win ever. Aki did excellent for a first time golfer, hitting 101 (I had 72). Aki cooked dinner tonight with a bit of help from myself. We had Okonomiyaki, Meat in Capsicum and Chicken Cabonara...oishii kata! Great to see Nana have a go with chopsticks!
Tue 19 Sept - Shopping day. Time to buy gifts for everyone back in Japan. Also paid some more off my loan. Took Aki out for dinner and tried to go to the casino but she wasn't allowed in without ID so we went bowling instead. Went home and started to pack.
Wed 20 Sept - Woke up at 1.30am Japan time and got back to Yokohama at 7pm Japan time....buggered.
Thur 21 Sept - Back to work :(
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