At this point I can now add an additional blog for each day as we had to split up for a few days. The reason was that Paul was attempting to get home for his mothers funeral but we had to keep it secret from the blogs incase the family saw it and got their hopes up but Paul did not actually make it owing to the close flight times and having to transfer from arrivals to departures (all will be revealed in due course) ....Continuing on from the previous blog of today :- Having got to the bottom of the mountain trek and stopped to take photos of a mountain covered with snow we got back on the road and someone mentions a cup of tea... Dee, ever present map in hand says there is a place about half an hour away and it's only about 40 mins or so from the airport !! Good plan !! Soon we come to the village where the cafe is and park right outside the front .. We enter the premises and well ( yes you guessed it again ). PIES !!!!

A beef pie, a beef & cheese pie, a slice of lasagne, 2 pieces of egg & bacon slice and a raisin scone plus coffees, and two cold drinks later it was back to the road again !!

We were now on very long straight roads with nothing else visible for miles in front of us or behind us !! It does not take long to get to Christchurch airport, park up the van and all go in for coffee etc... Paul wanders off to check in and as he has no luggage, except for carry on, he is given 3 boarding passes at the desk as he is a straight through, and joins the group quite quickly !! About half an hour later though it is time to depart as there is still 2.5 hours of travelling to do to get to the next "house"

Having seen everyone leave and go down the escalator I sit back down in the cafe area for few more minutes !! It is a very strange feeling watching your travelling companions walk away, even knowing that in a couple of days ( and thousands of air miles to the UK and back) we will all be joining up again in Tasmania ... I stay there for a while longer before deciding to walk down to the boarding gate !! As I approach a feeling of trepidation is evident as there is no plane waiting next to the gate !! I am one of the first passengers to arrive but the few others also have quizzical looks on their faces !! We are due to take off at 4:00 for Melbourne and it's now 2:50 !! At about 2:55 two airport security people walk into the seating area and start looking out of the window expectantly !!! At 3:00 a plane lands on the runway and taxis round to our gate !! At this point a medical team arrive so the delay becomes obvious !! Within seconds there are an absolute swarm of ground crew around the plane.... They are like worker ants... Bags come flying off the plane ( excuse the pun) food trucks pull up, off coming bags clear, on going bags arrive and are loaded at great speed !! Bags loaded, food lorries gone the fuel tanker arrives !! Then boarding starts about 15 mins later than planned !! However they did it I don't know but passengers were all on the plane, sat down, belted in, engines started and running, doors shut and locked ready to go !! The plane reversed back out the trundled along the apron before turning onto the runway and full power ... Off !! 4:10 !! Just over time !! Incredible !!

This was going to be a boring flight, no tv or films, a baby crying ( who, in their right minds, brings young babies on a plane? They are not gonna remember any of the holiday at that age, so what is the point ????? ) and an old lady next to me who stank to high heaven, but I do have the window !! Fortunately only a quick 3 hours and 20 mins to Melbourne !! As we settle into our cruising height and speed I look out of the window at the beautiful clear sky above and surrounding us !! I look down onto the clouds which are like pillows above the sea,(which is miles below), and the worst feeling of loneliness I have ever felt creeps over me !!! I am on a plane full of people, yet alone !! I have spent so much time at sea, months on end, lots of people with me but still lonely at times... But this is a sinking feeling I have never before experienced and can say categorically never want to again !! I know I have the thoughts and wishes of lots of people with me, even those probably in heaven, but there is no escaping this gut wrenching feeling of emptiness !! I dare not show signs of emotion as I am so much closer to "mum" she would probably find a way of clouting me on the back of the head !! Before we left I had a conversation with her where she told me she did not think she could last till we returned home from our holiday !! She told me that no matter what happened I was NOT to be unhappy , I was to enjoy my holiday with her blessing, no regrets for not being there as we would meet again one day, but my life must go on !! I struggle with all of this in my mind and remain staring out of the window for some time !!! I wonder if she can now see me and what I am attempting to do ??

The flight from Christchurch, although only relatively short, seemed to drag on forever.. But eventually we did arrive at Melbourne. It was strange as this time I was going through airport transfers instead of baggage claim.. As I followed the signs and rounded a corner I was on my own with two security people .. I placed all of my bits and pieces in the trays, laptop in one, iPad in another, watch, phone, pen, change, everything else in yet another tray, my carry on rucksack on its own. "Come through please" said the guy, so I walked through the metal detector and it stayed green, as I was picking up my stuff, it changed to red and the bell went off.. I looked back to see who had come through behind me and set it off.... No one there. I looked at the security guard as he looked at me with a face of wonderment.. " Could you just step back and walk through again please ?" " I have no idea why that has happened !" So I went back through and then walked through properly again and we both waited for the alarm to go off. Thankfully, this time, it did not go off and we both just shrugged our shoulders.. I walked through into departures, found which gate I would need and walked round to it so that I knew where it was... I was one of about 20 people in the whole of the departure lounge .. Seemed strange for such a large airport !! As I had about 5 1/2 hours before my flight to Abu Dhabi I walked all round the departures lounge and found a nice corner to sit comfortably and continue with my blog/faceache messages.. Did quite a lot but realised that the batteries were running low and thought I must charge everything up as security is paranoid now about electrical equipment being able to be switched on as required.. So off I went again on a walk round... I could not believe there were no charging points at all !!! In an airport of this size with international flights and the insistence of things working they don't provide facilities for charging !! I asked the guy at the coffeeshop and he said no they didn't have any !! That put an end to working on blogs so I had a bit of battery !

After what seemed like forever, as it was a long wait, I was on the plane for Abu Dhabi and was on my way again.. This was not going to be a pleasant flight either as I had two very ignorant people (was going to use different descriptive words there !! ) either side of me.. The one on my left kept turning sideways to sleep and almost ended up on my lap at one stage, having lifted the arm rest.... I pushed him off so he turned the other way and pushed his feet across mine !! The language was not pretty at this point and the cabin crew asked if I had a problem, thinking I was causing trouble) once they were happy it was not me I asked if there was another seat anywhere ? They said unfortunately not, so it was going to be a shoving match for 13 hours !! The guy on the other side kept throwing his pillow and flight blanket over me, which again did not go down well and started another row when I threw them into the aisle !! The flight staff were on my side though which helped ... The other problem was the flight meals which I just could not eat, so no food then !! No matter !! Sleep was at a premium but at least I got to watch all the new movies again and again and again !! So off into the night I went on my way back home !!! Next stop Abu Dhabi for a quick change to the Heathrow plane.......