First things first: big thanks to Jas for carting me around AND for letting me bunk at his place for the night AND for babysitting my snowboard. And a big thanks to Tom for driving me around the better part of Auckland and keeping me entertained

On leaving Auckland: I knew the excess luggage fairy would abandon me eventually…$35 excess from Auckland to Napier. That was $10 less than what it was going to be…I swapped the heavy baby bag for my carry-on…although the person checking me in said I couldn’t do that:

AirNZ Retard: you can’t take that onboard, it’s too heavy.
Me: what’s the limit?
AirNZ Retard: 7kg.
Me subtracting in my head: but this is 7kgs…
PAUSE WHILE WE SEE HOW MUCH MY BIG PACK WEIGHS, PUT THE BABY BAG BACK ON THE SCALES, WAIT FOR AIRNZ RETARD TO SUBTRACT 24 FROM 31
AirNZ Retard: oh ok, yes you can take that onboard.

Then I met a nice lady who mistook my brand spanking new Lonely Planet (thanks Abercrombie) for a recipe book. She told me to have an awesome time and to “stay away from dangerous countries like Iran and Iraq”. How nice?

Now I’m back in Napier for the second time in a month…that must be some kind of record. Now it’s down to business – there are grandparents to see, vaccinations to receive, websites to design and the world to conquer.

One final note: a big apology to all those I have neglected to tell that I left Australia…trust me, you are not alone on this one. Also, to all the Abercrombie people I didn’t get a chance to see before I left: big hugs and enjoy what’s left of summer in Australia!