We had a lot to see in Auckland and so we were all up early to make the most of the day.
Finishing Heather's packing was difficult as we could hardly close her case and she is five and a half kilos over - oh dear.
I was feeling OK until she asked me to do a room check to make sure she hadn't left anything and then it hit me and I could not hold back the tears.
We set off to take Totty to kennels first. Heather only had time to say a quick goodbye to her before the lady took her, reluctantly, away.
I had a lot of trouble with tears for most of the way to Auckland but just let them run down my face so Heather did not notice.
We stopped on the motorway just outside Auckland and had coffee and Heather had some nice French toast with cinnamon and maple syrup. (She has found, since coming to NZ, that she likes fish, passion fruit ice cream, minestrone soup, maple syrup and stir fry.)
We had no trouble finding our way to the city centre, it is not like driving in London, and we parked the car and went up the tower.
The lifts on the way up have a glass panel in the floor and also the door is glass and you can see out so I had to face the back wall! Although this tower is 23m higher than Sydney it is much smaller at the top and less spacious and I felt more nervous and my tummy was very odd and I could not go near the glass as it went down to the floor at the bottom (Sydney had a solid seat all around the outside edge so it felt better). We then got the next lift and went up to the higher floor and that was even less spacious so after a walk around and a few photos we went back down.
You could watch the people who do the jump and it was horrible to see but they all seemed happy going down. It is not a bungy jump just a sheer one drop right down to the bottom and you pay for it! When you see them going past you it gives you a really odd feeling.
Our next stop was down to the harbour where we visited Minus 5 ice bar. They kit you out in a thick jacket and mittens and then you go in but you can only stay for half an hour as it is so cold. You can have a cocktail or a mocktail and it is served in an ice glass which they say you can eat but I think that would be better on a hot day. We took lots of pics and had our drinks and then it was lovely to get out into the warm sunshine 17 degrees today!
We went across to the Maritime Museum and had a lovely lunch sitting in the sun, we really couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise.
From there we drove along the coast road to Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World. They have a tank of stingrays and we arrived to see them being fed by hand by a girl in the tank with them. They were huge and live till they are about 40 and weigh 300 kilos.
We then went on a snow cat ride to see the King penguins which were lovely and they had some chicks which were all brown and fluffy and so cute but with really tiny heads.
After that we made out way to the hotel which was just ten minutes from the airport and we have stayed there before when we went to pick Totty up.
We checked in and Heather had a shower and washed her hair and we left for the airport at 7.45. I was feeling pretty miserable by this time but keeping the tears in check. On the way out of the hotel we bumped into the girl from Bury St Edmunds we had met last time we stayed here and she remembered us and we had a little chat.
The young man who checked Heather in had only just come on duty and he was really nice. Her case was overweight and he asked us to try and get it down a bit even if it meant she had to carry a jumper or something. We took a hoody our and a jumper and it still weighed 24.5 but he let it through. We managed to squeeze one into her had luggage and one into her handbag - phew! Otherwise we would have had to pay $70 kilo! What a nice young man. Jon then asked about the offer Air New Zealand have of paying some money to have an empty seat next to you. He told us that someone had paid for one and so Heather could have the isle seat next to that and she would not have anyone next to her. What a nice man all in all he saved us a lot of money - people are so nice over here.
Heather then had a Subway, all she wanted, and Jon had a hot lamb salad but I couldn't eat anything. Heather was due to board at 10.30 so we sat outside departures till 9.45 and then I said I though she ought to go through and then it was horrible. We cried so much and she was so upset, it makes me cry to write about it now. We had intended to get photo of her departing to finish off her scrapbook but we were all so upset the photo I quickly took is very fuzzy.
We waited till she had gone through security and then we had to leave. It felt horrible like we were abandoning her as her flight was not due out till 11.15 but we could not see her anymore so it was best to go.
When I got to the car I could hold in the tears no more and I wondered how I was going to manage without her as we have had such a good time and done so much. Seven weeks is a long time to have someone with you.
Back at the hotel we went straight to the room and Jon gave me a big cuddle but it didn't help - it hurts so much. Just like January all over again only worse.
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