Auckland, New Zealand

As we flew over New Zealand, it immediately looked familar, lush green grass and rolling hills, even yellow heather was visible near the coastline. Moreover, it was raining and cold, a taste of home methinks!!!

Auckland seems like Toronto and even like Nottingham in parts especially Waverely Street where Charlie spent his Uni years, and near those streets, there is even a street called Waverely Street!! It is very nice. I bumped into a couple who were also on my mainland tour of Fiji in my Auckland hostel and last night we went to an ice bar called "minus 5" but it was $25 for 25 minutes so we instead went to the bar next door and looked through the window, impressive indeed.

Today I had a list of things to do, so busy (did laundry too)!!! I got my haircut, not bad too and only $10, then I also sold a ticket I had won at the hostel reception when I arrived for a trip which I couldn't do for $60 (worth $90), also to a guy in the hairdressers, must be my marketing expertise!!

Most importantly I went to the Qantas office (everything seems to be within reach of this hostel, even STA travel!!) as I wanted to change my final flight home and so far I hadn't got the flight that I wanted. This was quite annoying as initially I was going to arrive in the UK on a Friday and I told the lady at the Qantas desk in Los Angeles that I wanted to get home at the weekend. So she got a ticket for me and I thought everything was fine until I double checked the date of the 28th of November to arrive into the UK and it was a Monday!!! Dammit!! By then I was already in a hammock in Fiji so it has been playing on my mind a bit!!!

So I spoke to a lady in the Qantas office and finally it seemed like something could be done to get home at the weekend. I said to her "Try and get me home for the weekend, even if it means staying somewhere on the way for one night". So I waited a while and this lady seemed to know what she was doing thankfully and at long last!! She said "Well one thing you can do is go via Tokyo and be in situ for a few hours, I can then get you home for Saturday". I said "Okay that sounds good, any chance I can have a night in Tokyo?".

So a waited a while longer thinking about the benefits of being able to check out Tokyo and then she came back to me "Well, unfortunately you can't stay in Tokyo, but you can stay in Hong Kong so we can do it that way and you'll get back for Sunday". Oh yeah!!!!

So that is my return ticket now, I managed to wrangle Hong Kong for a 50 pounds charge of changing the ticket!! Now I will leave Perth on Friday 25th of November in the morning and arrive in Hong Kong at 5.30pm in the evening. I will stay one night and then the next day my flight doesn't leave until 11pm at night so I have a whole day in Hong Kong too!!!

Will be interesting to check Hong Kong out, especially thinking about the documentary I saw a while back about how they built the airport, bridges and subway system, reclaiming a lot of land in the process. I will arrive back in the UK as planned; at the weekend and on Sunday 27th of November, albeit at 5am in the morning!!!

Sorry Mum, Dad, Charlie and Edwin, and anyone else - I'll see you then!!!

I begin my Kiwi Experience tour tomorrow morning, so will let you know how that goes. Speak soon and take care everyone.

P.S. I hope England win the Ashes!!! Will be perfect for when I go to Australia!!!