DATE: Friday 8 -Sunday 10 September, 1995

PLACE: Los Angeles to Wellington

WEATHER: Warm to Cold

REMARKS: We have all been on edge, the anticipation of being home has been mounting progressively for the last week, and now it is almost palpable.

The kids are now familiar with the routines, and we settle quickly into being crowded like cattle on their way to the works. The trip is a restless one which seems to take forever.

But finally, the ground staff around us aren't speaking with accents, and customs is a blur as we are accepted home.

It isn't yet 0530 and we face the prospect of killing time before our flight to Wellington at 0745.

Fortunately, once an Air New Zealand staffer has opened the domestic ticket counter, we can dispose of our bags, and are ticketed for a 0630 flight. We will be there before the arranged time, but we can call Ron and get him there early.

The temperature outside, while we wait for the first shuttle bus, is a brisk 4 degrees - quite a change from the mid-twenties we left 12 hours earlier. Still the sun is coming up over Auckland and it's a New Zealand morning, so we are in mood to forgive even Auckland it's chilly reception.

The flight to Wellington is a doddle - the kids are now old hands at this sort of thing. Wellington presents a problem: what to do with the bags (and ourselves) while we await Ron's arrival? We leave the bags on a trolley at the collection area (aren't New Zealanders helpful?) and retire to the Koru Lounge (Thanks NZRL), where the chauffeur is roused.

While we wait, and nibble, fans gather for a flight to Christchurch to watch Wellington's challenge for the Ranfurly Shield, including a number of NZRL staff. Ron collects us all, we stow our bags and go to Karori, where coffee and chat await. Impatient now, we don't linger, but head for home.

The goldfish has survived; Goldie is about as though we had never been away, although these bags have some interesting scents; but Tiffany takes some coaxing from Jayne's wardrobe where she has evidently decided to take refuge. However, they are safe and well.

The house has been cared for, and had a good cleanup. What remains for us is to spend the day unpacking and re-establishing ourselves before back to work and school tomorrow.

We're home. The adventure is over.


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