The end of our NZ adventure .....and hello Cairns

Can’t believe where the 3 weeks have gone !

We have all loved NZ and it has given us endless moments of complete fun and pleasure, discovery of the most staggering scenery and sights, adrenalin kicks and relaxing times too.

The North and South are so different and yet incomparable as they are so diverse.....

We have loved it all and I speak unequivocally for all 4 of us although I am sure we all have our own very special memories.

For me it has been about being together as a family without pressure of the business and the ability to discover, enjoy, laugh and share an amazing adventure....

The bits which cost nothing- seeing the Kauri Trees for real, watching Lowenna and Will swimming,sand boarding and generally messing about,the mind blowing experience of the Doubtful Sound overnight, sharing Will’s bungy, witnessing Tim’s amazing patience at driving us , all 4331km of it, and his absolute excitement at his day hike on the glacier....

Family time together is absolutely priceless.... the first time probably in the last 12 or so years that we have really had ‘real’ down time, all together, in fact Lowenna and Will at the ages they were, have probably born the brunt of our lack of available family time, certainly since beginning project Pollaughan some 10 years ago it has been a constant mission to build the business and run it 24/7 and that takes its own toll on true family escapism as  being on call all the time makes escape very difficult.

We couldn’t have done it without the amazing Lucy Keeling who has loved and looked after Mungo and the animals and kept everything running smoothly at home and if anyone out there ever needs a house/animal sitter let me know - she is the best...

Sue,Steve and the rest of the family have also been supporting Lucy and making sure all is OK so we could leave it all behind... well, email and text does make it easier... here’s to everyone who has made this possible... you cannot know how much we really appreciate it..

So Cairns , here we are....We flew in over the GBR on a clear flight..... Barrier Reef tomorrow but for now a couple of days in luxury - big comfy beds, big powerful showers, time for complete relaxation and gathering of our thoughts before coming back to reality at home.... the weekly changing of loo rolls and smiling nicely will seem awfully tame after this !

 Lowenna  has taken complete charge of baggage now her navigation task has ended...