A short return to New Zealand

Well on the 8th May, a bombshell hit us, with the news of the sudden passing of my Dad.  With some extraordinary help from our helpx hosts Matt and Eleanor, and our travel agent in NZ we were able to get started on our homeward journey just ten hours later.  We left from Polgardi in Hungary and headed north into Austria where we left from Vienna. One car, four trains, three flights and about 29 hours later we arrived in Auckland to be met by our friend Alan who took us by car back to Taupo.  Family gathered from all over the world; Rarotonga, London, Germany, Hungary and Australia.  It was a very sad time but he did not suffer and was in no pain, and we are thankful for that.

 Dad

A special dad is hard to find,
You dad I'm keeping in my mind,
I wished you could have stayed forever,
But I will never forget you, oh not ever.

A special smile, a special face, a special someone I can't replace,
I love you and I always will,
You filled a space that no one will ever replace.

Almost eight weeks later we said goodbye to our family and friends again and headed back to Europe to continue our trip.  First stop Czech Republic, Prague.