On-Route to Auckland......

And so it was that we trundled off from Rotorua on the last leg of our road trip.....via Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty......for the briefest of briefest visits to Grandma G's friend.....on-route for Auckland.


There was rain on the window.....

.....and scudding skies all around......

.....but our spirits weren't dampened......no sireee.......we were uplifted by a gorgeous garden......refreshed with tea and scrumptious cake.....and I savoured the lovely antiques ......like these beautiful old pewter tankards from over here in Blighty......

 ....but this was all just too much for some of us.....back on the road again......the perfect opportunity for a little shuteye snoozy wooze........

.....before we arrived in Auckland at our good friend A's house.....where Little Lad and Little Miss quickly made friends with Ziggy.......

....a Leopard Gecko.....

Ziggy...the Leopard Gecko

.....who A was babysitting for her grandson......

It had been another long and whirlwind day.....we had experienced the entertaining Agrodome....met new friends......driven far.....and seen lots of the New Zealand countryside whizz by....we were tired.....emotions were starting to run high.....we knew our time was up......we knew our mostest wonderfullest holiday was drawing to a close....we knew we only had one full day left with family and friends in NZ.

-xxx-