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Trip Start Aug 26, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Oct 16, 2008

  Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Well this is the final instalment of this travel blog. Apologies to all for the delay in getting it posted as we have been more than a little distracted since the last posting.
After Chris and Gray left us we were taken out to sample a local restaurant by our home exchange friends, Patrick and Patricia and were also joined by Patrick's brother, Serge, a tennis pro, who had just returned home from a teaching spell in Noumea. It was a fantastic evening in a simple but delightful restaurant "Le Sucrier" that specialised in regional produce. A great evening with wonderful company.
On the Saturday we relaxed in and around Antibes re exploring all the best spots we had found over the previous 3 weeks. It is a wonderful town and vibrant, and even though Autumn was now showing, temperatures were good. Our final evening walk along the sea walls was very special with a wonderful moon and the sea looking so tranquil.
We returned from the walk, to find several messages on the cell phone, which we had left behind, asking us to please make contact with family in New Zealand. We knew what had happened, Leo's beloved sister Kathy had been unwell before we left, and we had heard from her on Friday that she had had to return to hospital, but all seemed to be going well. Unfortunately it was not, and she had passed on while we were on our sea wall walk.
We had kept closely in touch with Kathy during the trip, texting each day and enjoying her comments on our bits of news. The news therefore was very hard to take. Very little you can do when on the other side of the world, it is then that you truly appreciate distance, which previously had been ameliorated by speed of communication. What made all this harder was that we were starting our return home the next day, Sunday, as originally scheduled, sadly it was to be to return to a funeral for a loved one. Leo had a rough and largely sleepless night. Kathy was the closest sister in age to him (61) and had passed far too soon.
Sunday dawned sunny and clear, as it had nearly every day of this trip. We packed and cleaned (again) and all too soon Patrick arrived to help us get to Nice Airport. It was his birthday, we discovered as we drove out. He was genuinely distressed for us when he learned of our bereavement. Quite an emotional drive, just as well it was only 20 minutes to the airport.
It was hard to say au revoir, but we will be seeing Patrick and Patricia again in 2009/10 when they come out to New Zealand. In the short time since we had met we discovered a true affinity towards each other, and another friendship strongly forged.
We flew from Nice to Rome, then on to Dubai. 8 hours. Too many things to think about to sleep on this flight, and anyway we had a hotel bed for 7 hours waiting for us in Dubai. (we had a 9 hour connection wait and Emirates provided the room as part of the flight through from Nice to Sydney). Well when we landed at 1:15am Dubai time there were more people than hairs on a Camel, all lined up waiting for visas and immigration. We had a sponsored Visa from Emirates, so went to the priority queue where the queue was as long as anywhere else... Finally at 3:00am we found our hotel room and tried to get a few hours kip before heading back to the airport. 3 hours lie down was all we managed.
While in the Hotel we received a text to advise that our good friend and our Cameron's godfather, Richard had also passed on. Tough week this one. Richard's passing was not unexpected, and we had said our farewells before leaving NZ, however we were beginning to hope we would be able to see him again. Not to be.
The flight to Sydney was uneventful, and Cameron was waiting for us at the airport, taking us to his in laws John and Annette, where we were staying. We crashed. Combination of time zones and no sleep. After coming to we went over to Cameron's house to see he and Rachel and to see "the Bump", which at the time of writing is due to arrive any day now. It was the first time we had seen Rachel since she became pregnant, and to see her looking so well and happy, was wonderful.
Two nights in Sydney and it was home to NZ on the Thursday evening. Julie, Leo's youngest sister was there to meet us with all the family, and took us home. The house was pristine, and so nice to walk into. Funeral for Kathy was on Friday, alas that was not to be an easy day either. Our daughter Rojene, while on the way to join us to go to the service lost the tyre on her car driving across a motorway bridge, and was stranded. She was lucky to retain control and be unhurt. When she was finally able to join us we went to the service which was followed by an Abbott tradition, a truly Irish style Wake! Saturday was Richards funeral, and since then have not really felt like writing the blog.
Yes the travel bug is still there and we will travel again. The coming year with the advent of our first grandchild will probably mean we travel mainly to Australia to watch and enjoy progress. However we are aware of so many more places we want to see in Europe and elsewhere and because of so many years of travel there are friends we do want to see again.
We will keep in touch and there will be more blogs. Not sure when.

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