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

Bula Fiji!

“Welcome home” & “Bula” was the welcoming we received arriving in Fiji.
How did we end up here??? It all began when Heather found the flight deal to New Zealand with a free stop over in Fiji! Say what?! “How long can we stay” I asked the lady from Fiji Airways when I called to inquire on the details. Two nights max she told me-so I booked the flight!
And now less than 2 months later here we are! Fortunately, our arrival into Fiji was 5am Day 1 and departing 6pm Day 3 so we got to enjoy lots of time in the Fijian sun. Hmm, maybe a little too much time for a few Canadian wintered folks.🥵 Fijian sun is hot!
Here’s a few highlights from our little vacation in Fiji;)

Sunset over Fiji😍
Shawn went down before the sun. I had been taking jet leg homeopathic pills for a few days and he baulked at the idea. Then, we arrive in Fiji (a minus 17 hour + a day time difference) and it all caught up to him. Even a lively Fijian band & flame throwers in the room couldn’t wake him from that deep slumber! He came to 15 hours later; fresh as the Fijian sunrise 😎

Shawn vs Heather

While Shawn slept, passing out at 4pm (1am Toronto time), I took myself for a lovely Curry Fijian dinner while being serenaded by a Fijian guitar singing trio. 🎶 

Our “home” for the next 3 days and view from our patio.

 

I spent the early parts of the morning in my Happy Place (on the water) with a kayak or a paddle board, while Shawn enjoyed lounging under the rustling coconut trees feeling “ultra relaxed”🌴 

The grounds guy trimming the coconut trees must have looked at us and thought to himself, those silly sun seekers could use some hydration-and brought us over some fresh coconut water🥵 

We were very grateful!

...also a great way to cool off 🌊 🌴 

Paintball in Fiji? Seriously, of ALL the places I could have booked, this one had paintball target shooting!?! They must have known🤨 Anyway, Shawn HAD to try, and ended up convincing the guy to join him in a friendly target shooting competition.

 Shawn lost by one shot but still enjoyed it all the same😜

Fijian breakfast. 

Super excited not only for an amazing view every morning, but also curries for breakfast!

Night 2: Shawn made it to sunset 🙌🏻

 

...and it was spectacular!

As was the sunrise from the main island😍

My favourite part of the day☀️😌💗

Day 3: With skin still hot from too much Fijian sun, the remanence of multiple applications of sunscreen covering our bodies & a feeling of ultimate relaxation flowing through our veins, we say farewell to Fiji and board our plane to the next leg of our journey. 

See you in New Zealand! 

California Wine Country

Day 2 California Road Trip
Sunday morning we ventured off to the Santa Barbara Wine Country. With a quick drive by tour of the Santa Barbara strip, we were headed north again to taste the sweet nectar of the vines.

Santa Barbara Shoreline Drive(by) morning tour

Wine country tour and tastings  🚗 🍷🍷

Foxen-one of my favourite wineries💗

Sipping wine & watching the hummingbirds & red tailed hawks on the sunny patio.

Perfect 🍷🦅 😎

On our way back from wine country & one olive oil farm tasting later, we decided to get off the highway and find some food. Ventura looked like a good place on the map😏 

Unbeknownst to us, the drive-by taco sign off the main route that caught our eyes was the best taco stand around! Locals drove over an hour to reach this hot spot! Shawn even found much pleasure in drinking his local IPA on the sunny pier while having an hour long conversation with another paintball enthusiast who saddled up beside us😆

Did I mention how much we love tacos! (The authentic ones 🌮)

Sunny pier local brews 🍻 

Waiting for the sun to set over the Pacific. So many locals enjoying the end of another beautiful sunny California day 😎

Surfing into the sunset.

See you next time in Fiji Mr Sun! ☀️ 

Into the (Red)woods

Our trip down coastal California began in San Francisco late Friday night after arriving from Buffalo. Standing at the car rental counter at midnight (3am Toronto time), Heather’s starting to waver. A lack of sleep, a long travel day, and hanger kicking in was nearly a recipe for disaster. When Shawn’s card declined several times and the line behind us started to build, I felt the irritation kicking in and my MO is to blame (Shawn). Long story short, I filled my belly with nuts & dried fruit from our backpack stash, drove 5 minutes to our hotel (smart booking on my part), got a few hours of shut eye, and apologized to Shawn for my behaviour on our hike into the redwoods the next day. We opted out for the “managers special” gas guzzling Dogde Ram (totally not appropriate for the windy roads to Big Sur) and “upgraded” to the Subaru; a fun sporty car that handled Shawn’s whipping around hairpin turns overlooking the ocean. 

Love is in the air.
 Eight years ago in March, Shawn proprosed to me in front of the Colonial Redwood in Big Sur National Park. One of my most favourite places in the world-the smell is intoxicating, the trees magnificent and sharing a special connection to this place makes it all the more amazing. 💕 🌲

Views from the #1 highway from San Francisco to Big Sur 🚗 💨 🌊 

What a view! Standing high on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a humbling experience. 

Feeling so small and insignificant yet being reminded that Im a unique one-of-a-kind creation. 

Heather’s Tree Pose vs Shawn’s Tree Pose.  Votes? 🌲 🌲 

Love is here. 💗 

We hiked over 2km up the trail in Big Sur National Park to the lookout where the woods met the ocean. 

Another hangry moment for Heather...

Frustrated while driving and trying to pick a Mexican Restaurant, I told Shawn he was in charge . Actually I said, “Fine, you pick it!” Just then, he said, “that’s the one” and spun around  taking us to a local hot spot with some of the best Mexican we’ve ever had! (And we’ve eaten a LOT of Mexican folks). I’m learning that’s is better to let go of control and everything seems to work out better than I can plan it-key work; learning. 

Funny guy...

Our hotel swimming pool in Santa Barbara is very clear about who may enter the pool and who may not! 😂  💩 

All in all it was a lovely day of driving down the windy Highway 1 to Santa Barbara ❤️ 

And so it begins...

As with many adventures, sometimes you just have to roll with it. It our case, the reality of this statement rang true when we arrived at the prebooked & paid for Buffalo Airport Parking (turns out at some under renovations-AKA “going under”) hotel parking lot-and finding out there’s no shuttle service.
We arrive with 10 min of extra time to get the shuttle to BUF airport when the guy at the front desk says “yes, this IS the place but we don’t have a driver.” I really need to teach my facial expressions how to use their inside voice because the guy at the counter apologized a few times. After breaking the news to Shawn who’s still waiting in the car, looking out onto a nearly abandoned snowy parking lot, we pretty much looked at each other and thought “let the adventures begin.” We parked (hoped our car would still there when we returned), grabbed our bags and walked;  over a mile, in the snow, in minus 19🥶
Let the adventures begin!

 

I turned to Shawn and say, “ this why we normally travel with backpacks and NOT suitcases.”

This is why I take all the photos🙄

Needed a warm up 🍻 after the cold hike through snow & salt to BUF

When I stood up from my bar seat, I looked down and found my first penny #dadshere ❤️

Ready for take off. We made it! 

Let the adventures begin ✈️ 

On the road again!

We are heading back on our adventure-a continuation or finalization if you will, of our world trip from 6 years ago.
Starting in San Francisco, we will be driving down the coast to LA with stops in Big Sur (where we got engaged) & Santa Barbara (one of our fav wine regions), before flying to Fiji for a memorable 3 days beach vaca. We then fly to New Zealand (north island only this time) visiting friends and enjoying all this beautiful country has to offer! Super excited to be heading back here and completing the last leg of our journey-finally!
Check back in as I post new adventures of our travel experiences😁

The long journey home

Few of you know that Shawn and I cut our trip short and flew back home to Canada rather quickly.
After weeks of receiving updates from home, the call that came from my sister in the middle of the night while in Siem Reap, Cambodia sent us packing our bags and booking the next flight home. That night we received the news that my dad's cancer spread.
We first heard of dad's diagnose of pancreatic cancer back in Christchurch, New Zealand (Post: The Long and winding road). I'll never forget sitting in the Christchurch airport as we received the news from my dad's wife. It felt as if time stood still and flew past all at the same time. All I wanted was to be home with my family but felt so far from them-and we were! Even as I write this, it's as if I'm sitting back on that airport bench trying to make sense of it all. Guess that's the way with cancer...it's hard to make sense of.
Our family kept us updated every few days and encouraged us to keep travelling and enjoy our time away-which we did every minute! However, once we received the call from my sister with the news of dad's hospitalization, we knew it was time to come home. After a 13hr bus from Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand to catch our 40 hr flight to Toronto, we were finally home! It took some time to get over it being the opposite time of day (11hr difference) with coming home so quickly but that's all in the past now;) Shawn and I are grateful to be home.
We are thankful for everything we experienced and feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to be on such an amazing adventure with one another. One day, we will go back!
We are glad to be home and have been spending all of our time with family right now. With so many new additions to the family in the past year as well, were grateful for the time we've been able to spend with each and every one of them:) We are continuing to find our place and search for new opportunities in a new place. Thanks to everyone who followed our blog and supported us on our big adventure over the past 6 months.
On to the next...!

Our 3hr boarding crossing between Cambodia and Thailand in 48c on our 13hr bus to Bangkok.

More bags than we came to Asia with...

Turkish airlines rocks! By far the best flight we've ever takin'

Jolene (my younger sister) picked us up from the airport and we spent the next 4-5 days with their family in Klienburg recovering from our jet leg and spending lots of quality time with the kids. We were ecstatic to meet the newest member of the Gianakas family-Vivienne Alexandra born April 12th, sharing a birthday with Grandma Leendertse!

Lots of snuggles with our little niece :)

Uncle Shawn hanging out with the kids

Violet and Uncle Shawn

Grandma and grandpa with their newest grandchild. That's #8!

(photos coming soon!)

The newest addition to the Henderson Family-Mia Nihal born Dec 31 while Auntie Heather & Uncle Shawn threw a New Years Party at her home. She's so big now!😂

Our Arla Barla. She was a good girl for Grandma Nancy while we were away. Glad to be back with our fur baby😄