Arriving in New Zealand
We are finally in New Zealand with our friends, the Duley. Leighton is watering the grounds on a warm sunny afternoon.
We Reached Our Goal - Country Number 50
Arriving at Sharon and Leighton’s in New Zealand
This post has been a long time coming. When we first started our travel project in 2015 we had no idea how and if we would complete our goal to visit 50 countries in the span of 50 months.
It felt surreal when the plane landed in Auckland, New Zealand, and taxied to the gate but we were also struck by pride and a feeling of gratitude, that we were able to reach this goal. An ounce of relief set it that we had reached the finish line. We could now set a slightly different pace for ourselves.
Sharon and Leighton, First and Last
We had come to the right place, a place with friends where we always feel at home, where we could kick back and work on plans for our time in New Zealand. The trip was not over yet as we had scheduled a full month in New Zealand.
Our first destination when we started our travel project was Hong Kong. Sharon and Leighton lived in Hong Kong at the time and already then, we planted the seed that our last country would be New Zealand.
Sharon and Leighton were making initial plans to return to New Zealand and we had followed along closely as the plans for their new home came to life.
Our NZ hood in Lucas Heights
A Warm Welcome
We had a smooth flight to Auckland and went through immigration swiftly. Josh, Sharon and Leighton’s son, was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and quickly whisked us away heading north towards Albany, which is about half an hour north of Auckland.
Sharon and Leighton's new home is in the hilly Lucas Heights and right away we were in awe of the landscape and foliage in this area, lush, green, and with plants and tree sorts we had never seen before.
Celebration. We reached our goal :)
Leighton popped the Champagne on the patio as a nice gesture to our accomplishments. Cheers, congrats, 50 countries in 50 months. What a wonderful way to be celebrated among friends who have supported us through the entire journey. See the video below.
Settling In
In the guest wing, we settled into the most wonderful suite imaginable with windows on three sides, a private bathroom, and ample storage room for all our luggage.
From the suite, you could watch the sunrise over the hills and we had great views of the tall trees in the huge yard. Next time we are staying all summer, New Zealand summer that is. You have now officially been warned :)
We had a great BBQ dinner and slept like babies that first night. It was good to be in New Zealand finally. We had talked about this for so long and from seeing the drawings of the house a couple of years earlier to finally setting foot in New Zealand and witnessing Leighton and Sharon’s accomplishments with the house firsthand was just marvelous.
Leighton taming his 240 Massey Fergusson
Day Two in New Zealand
We spent the first morning in NZ unpacking, doing laundry, and sorting through our stuff. It's amazing what you find in your backpack after being on the road for a few months. We had told Leighton and Sharon about a game we played with friends and family in Denmark, Kubb.
After lunch, Leighton decided we should build our own Kubb game. He had the tools and the material and it didn't take us long to put it together.
A game of Kubb at Duley Grounds
Lucas, Sharon and Leighton’s other son, showed up for lunch and dinner and Sue, the neighbor, joined us for dinner and a game of Kubb on the front lawn. I can't remember who won but we played several games in the following weeks.
We talked about travel plans for New Zealand but our goal initially was to stay put for a few days, to get our bearings, catch our breath, and catch up on blogging and photo editing before we would hit the road again.
Nap time anyone?
A Week Goes By
Time flies when you are having a good time. We spent the first week finding our rhythm helping out around the house. Sharon, Leighton, and Josh would head off to work so we set up shop around the kitchen island and caught up on blogging, and made more travel plans.
It is a big house and property and there is always something to do. Di helped with a bit of gardening, Leighton was building a shed, and I gave him a hand for few hours (video above). Good fun.
We headed into Albany and checked out the local mall, found a mobile data plan so we could stay connected while on the road and got a few groceries at the PAK'n SAVE.
Brothers Josh and Lucas Duley, New Zealand
One evening Sharon and Leighton hosted 18 people from their church group to a BBQ and we helped with the food prep. It was pleasant meeting everyone and we had lots of great conversations, not to mention the delicious selection of desserts.
A friend of Sharon and Leighton's arrived for a few days, Karen. It was great to meet and spend time with Karen. Hannah (Sharon and Leighton's daughter) arrived from Hong Kong also. There is always room at the Duleys :)
Much more to come from New Zealand.
5050 Travelog Destinations
All Travel Destinations
Europe
Southeast Asia
Middle East
Canada and USA
New Zealand
The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express. I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
