All adventures must come to an end

MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR YOU, CHOCOLATE! - 

To satisfy our chocolatey whims, we booked onto a Cadbury World tour; led by Rebekah whose Oompah Loompian overalls were in Cadburys trademark purple. Many humans go GAGA for the dream merchants of milk chocolate but I'm obliged to tell you that it pales in comparison to Whittakers. All were welcomed into the Sensory Lab, where all elements of their chocolate production are disclosed and you taste morsels of ingredients. 

Yes, to the gloriousness of melted choc! We made our own marvellous creation but the popping candy wasn't available this time so I made do with things like mini pretzels. It's hard to be healthy here when everything is screaming 'EAT ME!!!' 

A couple of little known facts:

1. 320,000 kilos of bagged sugar are transported by production every year
2. Jaffas are only made once a month in the factory at midnight. This is because the sugar spinners are so noisy
3. 55 million bars of Turkish Delight are made a year

HOT CHOCOLATE IS MY DOWNFALL AND MY MUSE - 

Amy was astonished by the flowing chocolate inside the silo. It is the largest chocolate 'waterfall' worldwide, chuting down 5 storeys and molten choc has splashed across the walls, steps and railings so we had to be careful where we stepped or put our hands. In the café, we each supped terribly tasty hot chocolates; mine was Jaffa-flavoured which is always sensational and Amy's was Turkish Delight. There was a LOT of happy sugar in both mugs. 

The Museum exhibits inform that chocolat first arrived in France in 1615. Upon its arrival, Anne of Austria's maid was instructed to make her a chocolat drink each morning. Science has identified that chocolate IS good for the heart as it contains phenol - which reduces the risk of heart disease and phenylethylamine - this has the same effect in blood pressure and the heart as feelings of passion. After which, we made sure to stop in the gift store to pick up a selection of goodies in addition to the freebies we'd collected along the tour. 

TROOPERING ON THOUGH IT WAS RAINING CATS AND DOGS - 

After blazing through most of Dunedin, we lunched on the run from a bakery as most eateries were closed on the account of it being Labour Day. In order to walk off large quantities of Cadburys, we roved the 2.4km to the Botanical Gardens. They hold the status of a six star Garden of International Significance and occupy 30.4 hectares with over 6800 species of plant. Even in precipitation, the gardens are still as pretty as a picture and a habitat of harmony. The vegetation sings with every shade of green imaginable and flamboyant magenta. 

Baldwin Street, AKA the steepest in the WORLD, in the iciest of rain is pretty cool as it turns out. On what was maybe the wettest day of spring I've experienced in NZ, trekking up wasn't as hateful as you'd think. Cars had parked at the top, disregarding that it is a residential area and this was blocking inhabitants from exiting their homes. The inconsideration! The conditions took a turn for the catastrophic so we were unable to stick around as long as we'd have liked to and this meant we had to brace every footstep on the slippery downhill amble. Before long, we were wet through although we had good rain jackets and umbrellas! 

AH, SWEET, SWEET EATING - 

Dined at Wig n' Pen restaurant for a full on roast and was pleased that the chef was good enough to swap the roast beef with grilled Cajun chicken for me. I couldn't get enough of the roasties! The next morning, we flew back to my beloved Auckland but hope to return to Dunedin in the not too distant future definitely...maybe. 

Portofinos by the marina for lunch was a pleasurable dining experience except they charged us a horrifyingly extortionate $9 for a bottle of still, mineral water. We'd presumed it was free as a bottle was placed on every table beforehand or else we wouldn't have cracked it open. Regardless, I didn't kick up a stink about it as I was obsessed with the garlic pizza bread and their penne all'arrabiata also had the approval of my taste buds and tum. 

YOU KNOW HOW I GET WITHOUT CHOC - 

I had to stock up responsibly on Whittakers and choc supplies to take home as I knew I had to deal without it totally, soon enough. As I hadn't done so before, we spent a chunk of the afternoon taking pics throughout the city like a tourist. Auckland and I couldn't BE better friends and I miss it ever so dearly but more so the friends I have there. 

On my final evening in the country, we got together with Darcy at  OKO Dessert; she has been an AMAZING friend in such a short space of time. The sweet aroma of our friendship was mixed with the chocolate creations. I must commend myself for my choice of dessert once again as the sinful berry waffles with a generous scoop of Movenpick raspberry ice cream maintained a high standard of excellence. Then we went loco and whispered silliness to and fro through  Aotea Square's Speakatube tangled trumpet tubes which transport the noise. It was only the greatest, interactive sound sculpture ever temporarily installed in the Southern Hemisphere. 

MY LAST DAY IN AUCKLAND - 

There was not a single atom or molecule in my body that was dealing well with the realisation that my time was up in New Zealand. It was the loveliest to have a farewell with Hazel, Aaron and Ron at Old Government House for brunch. Ron was an accidental surprise as he'd bumped into Hazel and came along which made me so happppppy :) Hazel snuck us into the mansion that housed the first Governor of the country - only faculty members are permitted exclusive entry but they let us in!

It was nice to swap silly stories and take group photos as mementos over an omelette. They kept Amy company while I got down to business and sorted my finances at the bank, then waved us off on the bus to Takapuna; we said a simple 'see ya' as I was nowhere near ready for that to be my REAL goodbye. 

EVERYONE MUST LEAVE BORDERLINE DIABETIC - 

I couldn't leave the country without taking the sister to House of Chocolate for some day time desserting in the shape of Chocolate balls. The divine orb of tempered dark chocolate perfection was filled with boysenberry ice cream and served with choccie soil, brownie bits, candy balls, seasonal fruit and a pansy. They didn't melt instantly when we drizzled the hot ganache over them but it was the best thing I've seen. 'WOW' was my word exactly! 

We said hello Takapuna to the beach of North Shore's unofficial capital and vibrant oasis. The sun came out for us but the skies were generally overcast. Amy dunked her feet for the final time in the Hauraki coast of the crescent-shaped, urban beach. We galloped along the seafront, throwing seashells into the ocean as we like to make wishes on them and whipped our hair back and forth as we Monty's bring the gift of laughter into the world. 

THE GREATEST YEAR OF MY LIFE IS OVER - 

It was only right before Darcy picked us up to take us to the airport, that it all started to hit me :( Life was all about laughter, fun and freedom for me in NZ so I mustn't speak of how crushed I was to have left as I'll only ugly cry. My stomach churned up inside with apprehension, nervous excitement and F.O.M.O! Darcy has been such a help to us! Somehow, I miraculously kept my composure and didn't leak one tear when she waved us off from the Shaky Isles. 

We got to the airport 4 hours early which was just as well so we could rearrange our suitcases and hand luggage as mine were overweight and took some major redistributing before we got the weight limit spot on. My final meal in the country was an average teriyaki chicken and avocado roll for an airport picnic. Overwhelmed and dreading our planes back to the land without hokey pokey and tuis but looking forward to seeing many friendly faces. 

THE CITY OF AUCKLAND WILL BE IN MY BLOOD FOREVER - 

Our flight from Auckland to Singapore was sweet because it was underfilled with over 40 free sides so we were able to spread out and had ample space with a row to myself, as did Amy. My three seats were converted into a sofa bed of sorts as the cushions were attached to seats in front. I slept soundly and snugly but Amy wasn't afforded the same luxury as I. In order to abolish jet lag on the second flight, I watched 4 movies: Table 19 - a quick-witted chick flick with Anna Kendrick starring as an ex-maid of honour attending the wedding of an old friend is seated at the reject table, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - is appealing on many levels with an equally epic soundtrack to the prequel, Gifted - was touching with Chris Evans raising his 7 year old niece who is a child prodigy with INCREDIBLE mathematical skills and Beauty and the Beast - was just as rapturous and sublime the second time round. 

From Singapore to London, Amy and I both had aisle seats on the same row with a vacant chair between us so we took turns laying down for restful slumber when we needed it. My entire year has been awesome and I'd gladly walk the four corners of Earth to go again. We had some PERFECT moments in perfect settings and I had the year of a LIFETIME! Amy coming out to Aotearoa for my last month was the kiwi on the pavlova for me. I befriended the loveliest people, visited stunning locations and had the most fun experiences. Every person I met and everything I got to do here made New Zealand worth crossing many oceans for. 

See you again, soonishly xoxo

Everything is SUPER in Otago

NOT HER FINEST HANDIWORK - 

Once we'd checked out of our Backpackers and savoured a Boston creme donut, we shopped and bopped at the Pier Market by the waters edge. There was no end of arty bric a brac while drummers rhythmically hit their sticks at the park. Amy splashed out on a kiwi charm but I couldn't find a blessed thing that tempted me to loosen my purse strings. 

To support a young girl fundraising for her international school trip, we allowed her to give us henna tattoos. This turned out to be an extraordinarily bad idea as I asked for a daisy chain around my right wrist and it didn't come out incredibly but she was only a kid. Amy's heart and squiggle design was not botched up one bit! 

WE DID NOT DROWN... SO HOORAY FOR THAT! - 

As it was another resplendent day, we checked off another water-based activity of kayaking; something I've not done in a while! We got quite drenched from steering with the oars as we'd experienced technical difficulties in our double kayak. My leg cramped up and I was dubious of the kayak's stability and safety which made for a hellacious two thirds of an hour. 

The lake was a bit wavy and splashy, so we didn't stray out too far from the shore. I wasn't keen to stay out for our designated 45 minutes thinking we'd capsize but we stuck it out for close to 40 and didn't topple in. I rather liked it eventually but Amy did all the grunt work as I'm no budding kayaker and I hindered more than I could ever have helped. 

DID US SOME GOOD EATIN' - 

I'm now like a professional bird chaser of Queenstown's demon seagulls; these birds be mean and gluttinous!! After drying off in the sun, we grabbed a bite at Caribe. Their chicken and avocado salad arepas (popular, maize dough Latin eats) left me the good kind of speechless. However, they were mediocre to Amy as she knew the real deal. We'd enjoyed Jazz Fest so much that we went back to see a school band perform. It wasn't the dork fest it could have been but it was fun singing along to the tunes we knew. I will also say that the children were really committed to their brass instruments and it's nice to see youth use their talents. 

Such is my devotion to GREAT gelato, that I can barely go a day without it in wonderful weather. I can't name a single thing I didn't like about my black forest and coconut sorbet. Cheerio Queenstown, you've been perfect and you know it! We'll try not to stay away too long :( We caught our bus to travel the four hours to Dunedin, resting and watching a weepie on Netflix on the way. By the time we'd checked in at Geeky Geckos, it was getting on for 9pm and most of the restaurants weren't open so we resorted to a Maccas. We were displeased with our abysmal abode! The only window we had didn't let in natural light from outdoors but from the corridor; that light was left on all night and since our window didn't have curtains it prohibited me from sleeping soundly. 

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD FOR A FUN FAIR - 

On our first full day in Dunedin, we started out with a Perc Café brunch which ended up as something of a gastro-trophe. The Snickers smoothie was BLEURGHRK as a) it was warm and b) it has banana in it! Amy sacrificed her taste buds and her hot chocolate so that I wouldn't have to drink the smoothie; I can only diss this as a DUD. My avocado, tomato and basil oil bagel wasn't a bagel fit for a queen but it was a treat good enough to eat and an above average one at that. 

Crazier things happen in our family than at the Extravaganza Fair at the Oval. It was overrun with hippy dippy, hooey fooey in the shape of tea readings, crystals and dreamcatchers. There were also all the usual fairground faves: ring toss, coconut shy and kissing booth. A magic show by the silent but dramatic, rainbow ballerina kid was cheery. Candy-flossing satiated my hankering for sweetness although it contained less than a teaspoon of sugar -- or so the sign said. I was the only person applauding the warbling of the Pirate man. 

NOBODY ELSE I'D RATHER SPEND TIME WITH IN THE RAIN  - 

The heavens opened like in the biblical sense of Noah's Ark with an incessant downpour so we sought out indoor sites. Inside the Railway Station is an Art Studio showcasing the many accomplished hands which have created some epic pieces. I think the banana mushed with my brain and I just had to annoy Amy with my I-MUST-EMBARRASS-YOU-MUSICALLY stage show, jazzy dance as we traipsed down the road. I shan't stop finding ways to amuse her in the ways that she hates. 

Another place we escaped the rainstorm was at The Otago Museum which has over 1.5 million items. No me gusta stuffed creatures or animal bones, so this visit didn't make for the best 60 minutes of our lives together. The mummified 30-40 year old woman from 2700+ years ago was donated over a century ago. It is not a beautiful sight and freaked me out irrationally. Amy and I bantered back and forth childishly through the whisper dishes outside - the parabolic discs bounce clear messages from one dish to the other many feet away. Its curved form enables sound waves to be collected and amplified, reflecting the noise from one dish to the other, in the same way a mirror reflects light. 

HAPPY TONGUES AND HAPPY HEARTS - 

A hunt for sustenance proved trickier than it oughta have been with lots of cafes and restaurants closed for Labour Day weekend. Jitsu was recommended to us and they saved us from hunger with their Japanese cuisine. The chicken teriyaki donburi rice bowl was topped with mushrooms and so filling and OISHI!! (sources tell me this is 'tasty' in Japanese) 

Once we'd picked up provisions from a Mini Mart and layered up at our Backpackers for warmth, we awaited our shuttle at the I-Site, ever worrying it would forget us. Aileen, a sweet Filipina drove us an hour along the windy, waterside roads of the Peninsula up to the Royal Albatross Colony at Pilots Beach. She had us in hysterics en-route as she took us to the penguins. 

LET THE PENGUINING BEGIN! - 

It does cost an arm and a leg for a night tour if transport is required as money is reinvested to protect the penguins and preserve the colony. In the stands, we were as cold as being submersed in a slushie while waiting on the guests of honour. We had front row standing positions thinking we had a prime spot but twas not; luckily we were allowed to switch around for fairness! Before the headliners took the 'stage', I originally mistook a seal for a rock and was the first to spy it with my eye; as they are predators to penguins, I had to point it out to a member of staff so they could keep tabs on it. 

Dunedin isn't exactly on a dream travel wishlist for those exploring NZ but to see Penguin 'Highway' is wonderful as they waddle up the beach in the wild. The world's smallest are known as Kororu in Maori and during our evening of miracles, we saw 126 in total. Wow, so *this* is what all the fuss is about!! 

GAMMA RAYS OF LOVE EMITTED FROM MY HEART - 

It was ironic that the penguins are loud as lions seeing how they're tincy wincy in physical size. I have a compulsive desire to rescue every last one of them! They swim out at sea all day about 50-70kms and then call out to their partners to find their chicks at the beach, before returning to roost in their sandy burrows. Little Blue Penguins breed here; we were stunned to gaze out at the rafts in their natural habitat. 

We were given the go ahead to take pics and video record without using flash as that can blind or kill them. It was cutesy how some of the Lil Blues slipped down rocks and couldn't pull themselves back up - lacking the strength and stature while others hop over them effortlessly. Under the moonlight run ins with dearest fluffos was GRAND and I was glowing for days wanting to hug them all.