A long awaited return to New Zealand

While on our world trip 6 years ago, we visited New Zealand for 3 weeks-seeing both the North & South Island in a whirlwind driving tour. From there, we continued onto Australia before exploring South East Asia. As I sit here in a New Zealand airport today, I have a mix of emotions about how we ended up back here. The obvious is that a good friend of mine now lives here and what a great excuse to visit! However, the bigger reason is that we cut our World Trip short 6 years ago in April & never completed the last legs of our journey-and vowed one day to return.
When we arrived into Christchurch airport after exploring a week on the north island six years ago, I got a desperate call from my sister who said I needed to call home straight away. So I called my dad & his wife and received the news that dad had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer-and the outlook didn’t look good. Although I didn’t understand at the time how serious this news was, nor did my dad want me to stop my travelling to come home, I couldn’t shake the looming feeling of dread & anxiety that began to overwhelm me. Even as I sit here and write this, the feelings come flooding back like it was yesterday. Being half way around the world on a trip of a life time, I felt torn between staying and going. Dad reassured me, “I’ll be ok. Enjoy your travelling-don’t worry about me.” Sure dad, you don’t know me at all! 
So we continued our travels for a few more months (and enjoyed all that New Zealand had to offer) until the dreaded feeling that followed me around finally came true in the middle of the night in Cambodia. First my sister, then my dads voice on the line; the cancer had spread and I needed to get home. We booked the next flight out of Bangkok and after a few days of travelling, we finally made it back home.
The next few years that followed were some of the most difficult ones I’ve ever faced. Losing dad a few days before his 59th birthday that same year and then Shawn’s cancer diagnosis the following September. As painful as these two events were, I see how God has worked in my life to bring me through it all-and it may sound funny, but I’m so grateful for it.
This is not to be sad or put a downer on our trip, but rather explain how we got here: back to New Zealand. Since we felt we never quite completed our journey, we said one day we’d go back. Shawn’s only request was that we have another stop over in Tahiti (he had to settle for Fiji instead😉). 
Last Christmas (2018), my grandma passed away at the age of 90, and because my dad is no longer with us, my sisters and I all got a little something. With careful consideration, and a knowing that my dad would have said “go finish your trip,” it all fell into place. Everything came together with the flight deal including the stopover in Fiji (although Shawn kept saying Tahiti🙄). Although we are still on a budget like most of our travels, we didn’t have to starve ourselves on our island portion of the vacation (see Tahiti blog post). We now have a home and jobs to come back to and are no longer the wondering vagabonds of the past-well, maybe a little😏
And so here we are! Ready to start a new adventure and create another set of memories. Feeling blessed to be here today and being able to share this experience with the love of my life. ❤️
Onto the next Adventure! 
#NewZealand

New Zealand: taken February 23, 2014