We’re off again. It’s time for us to start JWalking 3.0 and after extensive discussions and a lot of thought we are heading to the other side of the world and returning to New Zealand.

There are so many countries and amazing places that we could have visited and we truly considered each and every one but we just kept coming back to New Zealand and how much we absolutely loved our first trip there a little over 20 months ago. So we decided to return.

It’s a three month trip and we’ve planned to see all of the places that we didn’t get to visit previously along with a few that we just have to see once again. We won’t be housesitting or Helpxing though, this is pure vagabond travelling.

Our Journey around the World

It’s not just a long flight it’s a really long flight! In fact it’s two really long flights! Leaving London Gatwick on Monday evening we wouldn’t be landing in Auckland until Wednesday afternoon, a little under 30 hours after take-off. Apart from quick stops at Dubai and Brisbane we’d be enjoying the delights of an Airbus 380 the whole time.

My major concern about the immense flying time was not how comfortable it would be or how tired we might get, it was ‘how on earth is Jo going to be able to chose what films to watch’! With over 500 to choose from plus TV programmes it was a recipe for viewing disaster. Jo struggles deciding between BBC and ITV so I wasn’t at all confident. Luckily our daughter-in-law Tabitha rode to her rescue and compiled a list of suitable movies so Jo was ahead of the game and able to view without any worries.

The flight to Dubai was a breeze apart from Jo’s neighbour ‘Spud Buddy’ explaining all about his career as a potato planter in different countries of the world. Fascinating! Before we knew it we were wandering the huge shopping centre known as Dubai International Airport waiting for our onward connection.

The next leg to Brisbane however was a killer! Through the night and over 18 hours long it was a real test of character which pushed us to the limits. Two hours sleep was all we managed as those seats in Economy just aren’t that comfy. Jo was slightly entertained by the Aussie fella beside her telling her all about aircraft, runways, the oil business and Dubai traffic so that helped the time fly by(!). We got there eventually though and a sharp turnaround saw us re-boarding for the last leg to Auckland.

Olive’s Garden Cottage

Our Airbnb host in Auckland, Olive,  had kindly offered to collect us from the airport so before we knew it we were settling in to a cosy little unit in her quiet garden ready for some proper sleep and recovery. We’d planned a couple of nights there just to recover before starting any exploring or travelling.

The next two days were exactly what we needed and I would advise anyone travelling this far to always schedule in recovery time after mega-flights as tiredness can seriously ruin any visit. Once we’d recovered we were raring to go and picked up our little Toyota Yaris from Apex Car Rentals (it will probably get a cute name eventually) and headed north of the city into Northland for our first road trip.

JWalking 3.0

Before we start this next stage of our ridiculous life, I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported us and followed us on our journey. I’m not sure if you know just how much it means to both of us having friends and family keep in touch and comment on our blog posts as we travel. We’re looking forward to sharing our little adventures with each and every one of you over the weeks and months ahead.

Let’s go ………………………..

6/11 – 10/11/2017