Though we thoroughly enjoyed our time in India and absolutely plan to get back there at some point, arriving in Melbourne and being greeted by smiling faces, safe drinking water, comfortable beds, and somewhat fluent use of the English language was - quite literally - a breath of fresh air.
Honestly, most of our time in Australia was spent catching up with amazing family and friends, indulging in way too many Tim Tams, coffees, pavlovas, lamingtons, vanilla slices (I could go on for ages - and consequently so do our waistlines), and attempting to relax after a pretty exhausting month - I know - cue the miniature violin.
But our time was most pleasantly interrupted by a visit from the Alldredge Family - Steph, Kyle, and their brave little 15 month old, Jack, who unbeknownst to him was about to embark on what might be the nerdiest first international trip ever to Middle Earth - I mean New Zealand. Our road trip around NZ was spectacular, and though we frequently felt like we had time traveled to Melbourne in the 1980's, we were in constant awe of the natural beauty, friendliness, and warmth that NZ had to offer. We began our road trip in Auckland, and in the next 10 days would weave our way through both the North and South Islands, rubbing elbows with Hobbits in Hobbiton (and thanks to J.R.R Tolkien for the title of this post), attempting to frighten glow worms in the famous Waitomo Caves (Jack!), world-renowned fly fishing around Lake Taupo, visiting the natural hot springs in Rotorua, drinking our way through Wellington, wine tasting in the Marlborough Wine Region, catching up on a bit of World Cup Cricket, and finally stopping to reflect in Christchurch before promptly heading back to Big Brother, aka Australia. Our little traveler did spectacularly well, and while he might not remember this trip in the years to come, he'll at least have a very well deserved first stamp in his passport, and likely a very entertaining fascination with Kiwi women as proof of his visit. They start young!
Our remaining time back in Australia included a trip to Sydney to visit Errol's wonderful aunt and friends, and then back to Melbourne to slowly start coming to terms with the fact that our world trip would soon be coming to an end. We tearfully said goodbye to family and friends and boarded a plane back to reality - with one final stop in Hawaii, because the temptation to end full circle with mai tais - was just too difficult to resist.
We are going to try and avoid reality for a little longer, so let us know if you need a house or dogsitter!
Pictured: touring around Auckland, searching for Hobbits in Hobbiton, hiking around Tongariro National Park - aka Mt. Doom, Lake Taupo, a view over Wellington, on the ferry between the North and South islands, Marlborough Wine Region, beautiful Kaikoura, and the Southern Alps.
