I've not been inspired to write for some time. I think it's because we have done about as much of New Zealand as we can do. We love this country and don't regret coming one bit. Despite the incredible scenery, friendly people and great weather, it is so much like Canada that we are now thirsty for something new and strange - the whole point of this adventure. We have been gone for nearly four months and have still not stepped foot in a country with a first language other than English. As Tom Petty would say, "It's time to move on, it's time to get going, cause under my feet, baby, the grass is growing." Besides, we are so done with driving. We will not be renting a car in the next five countries we visit (Thailand, Vietnam, India, Nepal and Qatar) and right now, that's my idea of heaven. Talk about a First World problem, but bring on the trains, tuk tuks and taxis.

Our time on the North Island has been low key and relaxing. We enjoyed a spirit recharging three days with Rick and Donna in a great little beach house on the Coromandel Peninsula. We hiked into incredible hidden beaches, cooked fabulous meals, drank too much wine, swam, bogie boarded, ate ice cream and played endless games of crib, trivial pursuit, two person solitaire (a Shannon speciality) and monopoly. The trivial pursuit game was a kiwi version and our standard answer to all New Zealand questions was "Russell Crowe." Is he even from New Zealand? What Ev. The girls could not get enough of Rick and Donna and they were awesome with them, as always.

After another sad farewell (our next visit with friends from home will be David and Amy in India) we headed to Rotorura - the centre point of all things thermal in New Zealand. Lots of bubbling mud, natural hot pools and volcanic vibe. The kids' favorite part was taking in the local Santa Claus Parade which was so much like Yellowknife's we had to shake our heads. Watching the kids wrestle and argue over candy thrown from the passing floats brought a warm holiday feeling to our hearts!

The last two nights we spent in Auckland largely to attend the final night of Taylor Swift's New Zealand tour. Despite my early indifference, she put on a great show. The best part, for me, was when she came to the back of the venue (where we were seated way up high) and perched on a telescopic mini-stage that rose up four stories and rotated while she played three acoustic tunes on her six string literally right before our eyes. She struck me as a pretty genuine and incredibly talented performer. She played the acoustic and electric guitar, banjo and piano. I had no idea she wrote all of the fairly catchy tunes in her impressive repitoire (how DO you spell that word). I am loathe to admit it, but it was one of the better concerts I've seen (next to Elliot Brood at the Explorer of course).

Today we visited Auckland's great aquarium before heading north for a two night farm stay. Just what the doctor ordered before our long flight to Bangkok on Friday. It's pouring rain outside the lovely farm cottage we are staying at for two nights. There are cows, sheep and turkeys all around us. We have no internet or tv and it's awesome. The girls are catching up on homework and music while we cook lamb burgers, drink one of our last bottles of NZ Sauvignon Blanc and listen to some Christmas tunes on my iphone. Tomorrow we'll take a tour of the farm and see how it all works.

Some of you have bee inquiring about travel in New Zealand for your upcoming trips so I thought I'd close out this last blog from Kiwiland with a few observations:

1. You could spend a month on each island and just barely scratch the surface. Unless you want to spend all your time driving twisty roads, pick a few things you want to see and see them well. I'd recommend the South Island but I haven't spent enough time in the north to make an informed opinion.

2. The country is 100 per cent tourist friendly. Everything here is easy. It's like the Florida or Hawaii of the South Pacific. No troubles with accommodation, currency, language or funny food. If you're into great weather and scenery with no unwanted surprises, New Zealand is as good as it gets. The biggest adjustment is driving on the wrong side of the road.

3. It's not dirt cheap. It's not crazy expensive either. For a two or three week vacation, it would be fine. If you're trying to make your dollar stretch over a longer period of time, this is not the place to do it. Even at backpacker joints, which are all clean and awesome, they charge by the person, not the room. With a family of four, it's just as cheap to get a decent hotel as it is to stay in a hostel. Food prices are on par with Yellowknife as are restaurant meals. Tipping is not customary here and the canadian dollar is a bit better than the NZ dollar which takes some of the sting off. For a family of four, bank on at least $120 a night for accommodations and $150 per day for meals. Less obviously if you are camping and cooking your own meals. Attractions are all what you would expect in a full-on tourist destination.

4. Internet service is expensive and limited. You can buy monthly plans from the Telco but they are very limited in terms of bandwidth. "Free wifi" normally means a limited amount of time or bandwidth on an assigned password. The best bet is learning to do without and stopping for a coffee at Mickey D's where it's slow but free and unlimited. A coffee costs $4 wherever you go btw.

5. Coffee is good here if you like expresso. We have gravitated to "Long Blacks" as they are the closest we have found to an Americano. White coffee is drip coffee with lots of milk. Many places stop serving coffee after 4 so, if you are driving and need a boost, get it early in the afternoon. Or by yourself a press and make your own "plunger" coffee.

6. The people are very friendly and eager to help. Because they seem to put living before working, things don't stay open too late.

7. The cities didn't impress us much but the little towns did. We would spend more time in Dunedin and Queenstown if we were to visit again.

That's probably all I'll have to say about New Zealand. There's much more we would have liked to do here, but we simply ran out of time and energy to spend driving. Next stop is Thailand and Vietnam where we will travel only by bus, train, junk boat and taxi. We have picked out four places to focus on to keep the hopping around to a minimum.

Good news. We have recovered our passports from the High Commission of India with tourist visas included! I was going to dedicate this entry to that ordeal but I'll save it for the next time I'm stuck for ideas or motivation. Instead, I thought I'd close off with a bit about homesickness.

From the beginning I recognized that homesickness would be an ongoing challenge for us. There were times when we knew it would be worse than others. Christmas was the big one on our minds. So far so good but it's still early in the game yet. I'm a bit crazy when it comes to Christmas. I spend all December fretting about it starting to early and coming to slow. By the time it finally arrives, I'm a bit desensitized to it all. When it ends, I immediately start looking forward to it again. I remember clearly this time last year thinking that it will be so good to be away from North America during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Tonight I'm thinking ahead to what I'll be doing next year. So much for living in the moment!

Actually it's not that bad. They start Christmas early here too but it's not that big of a deal. We visited a replica of Scott's Station on Antarctica at the aquarium today and it got me missing my little bush camp. I know that by now someone has made the first trip up. If Johnny is out of camp he'll go this weekend to "open up" despite Jude saying it's too early like she does every year. I make two solo trip a year before Christmas. The first is right about now to set the camp up. I remove the bear boards that were laid down the previous spring, set up the beds, light the first fire, have a wee dram and put up the little plastic Christmas tree we've had on the go for years. I normally don't stay the night as it's a busy time of year with school and work activities. But I always make sure it's cosy and squared away for my next visit. I'll leave the cup I used for my toddy sitting on the counter unwashed rather than heat up a pot of water. The next trip is normally the Friday after our Christmas lunch at work. I pack up some leftovers, supplies that we will need for our first big trip between Christmas and New Years, and a flask of rum. That first night at camp every year is such a treat. I stay warm cutting firewood and snow shoeing the ski trail while the fire takes the frost out of the walls and windows. After and hour it is usually getting dark and time for a little snooze on the couch before dinner. I turn the gas lights down on low so I can see the fire dance and flicker and press play on the antique tape machine that has only ever played one tape since I've owned it - "The Bells of Dublin" by the Chieftans. After a little snooze I'll wake to complete darkness and silence. I'll lay there a while savouring such a perfect moment. If Johnny is at camp I'll head down for a game of crib and a cocktail before coming back up for my supper and an early night. The silence will be a bit unnerving after a season in town but will put me fast asleep. On the way home the next day I'll cut a northern Christmas Tree for the house and look forward to the first long stay of the year. Most of the branches will get cracked off the tree from all the bouncing around in the boggan.

It's the Chieftans that are playing on my iphone now. As the rain falls and the wind blows outside, I'm homesick for my little camp tonight. I'm missing the early routines of the Christmas season, even though I'd be cussing them if I were there. Homesickness is a funny thing. I have experienced it many, many times through the years. I think there's a difference in being homesick for something you may never see again, and something you know you will return to soon. In the amount of time since I closed up my camp last spring, we'll be back home getting ready for another winter. Time goes fast. As I always tell the kids "don't wish your time away, you can't get it back." It's great to come from a place that you hate being away from. And there is nothing like absence to make you appreciate something more. I will miss home this Christmas as will Deb and the kids. But next year, God willing, we'll appreciate it all the more. This year we'll take comfort in the fact that we are all together in a strange and wonderful place where the traditions are all different. And besides, right after that it will be January and February, which are the only two months I am not completely crazy about Yellowknife.

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the most wonderful time of the year at home. We will miss you all this year. And, if anyone passes by my dark little shack in the next few weeks, be sure to light the fire and set up that little tree for me. Don't tell anyone, but there are a few wee drams in the shed out back if the spirit overcomes you!! You can leave the cup you use on the counter. I'll scrub it up next year.