It was an early start of 5am to get everyone ready for the drive to the airport. Aunty Lorraine drew the short straw and we all set off in a somber mood.
We were soon checked in and we had a very tearful farewell as goodbye would mean we would not see Aotoea again. The land of the long white cloud had been very kind to us but when such a fantastic trip comes to an end it will always end in tears. One last wave and we were through security and on our long return leg.
The 3 hour flight to Sydney was easy compared to the second leg of 14 hours.
Next was a 10 hour wait in Abu Dhabi, luckily we had a room at the Premier Inn so we could freshen up before our 7 hour flight to Manchester.
Then then the train back to Carlisle