Day 1 - And so it begins again ......

Melbourne to Auckland

Here we are again, five years to the day after our last extended trip to Africa and Europe. We always intended to resume our trip, but didn't think it would take us this long.

Our plans for this trip at this stage are a bit vague ..... head to South America (via New Zealand), make our way to the southernmost part, see if we can get a good price on a trip to Antarctica, and after that .... keep heading north!

I wonder if these plants will be alive when we get back .....

Today we had an afternoon flight, so we spent the day just like the previous five ..... cleaning the house and moving our stuff so we can get it to hotel standard for airbnb guests. We had done such a great job, the house looked so beautiful when we left that it seemed a shame to be leaving it for someone else to stay in, knowing that we won't be staying anywhere as nice as home for the next eight months or so.

Gini came and collected Poppy, who cried at the car window to every passing car that she had been kidnapped, only settling down after an hour or so.

Our flight to Auckland was fine, a nice easy flight, and we arrived at the hotel in the early hours of the following morning.