I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to blog again, even though there have been so many exciting developments in my life. I think the best way to tell you what’s happened is to go back to the morning I arrived in New Zealand.

Once I’d arrived in in New Zealand after another very long flight, I spent an hour going through the very strict control at the airport having my bag searched and my shoes checked- not for bombs but for seeds, as New Zealand has to be very careful that foreign plants and animals are not introduced as they could damage the eco-structure that hangs in a very delicate balance in New Zealand. After that I muddled my way around the airport and got onto a shuttle bus, that after an hour and a half, would get me to my next bed of the trip.

The hostel looked uncannily like a mental institution, and I crawled into bed at sunrise to get a few hours sleep before exploring. Auckland was bright and sunny and although it was early winter it was surprisingly warm. I first went down into the harbour to overlook the amazing view of some of the smaller islands that make up Auckland’s 625 km2 sprawl. After that I went back into downtown Auckland and decided to go up the SkyTower- The southern hemisphere’s tallest structure. It was scary, but the views were incredible. Auckland is made up of over 50 volcanoes that have risen out of the sea over time, making it incredibly hilly terrain, and from the top of the tower you could almost count all of the extinct volcanoes. While I was in Auckland, I did the usual tourist route around the city, taking in the brilliant aquarium and antarctic museum (complete with an icy penguin sanctuary!), the zoo, walking on some stunning beaches before deciding to crack on with getting a job sorted, as it had been nearly three weeks since I’d earned any money at all and my funds were dwindling. So I started looking on various sites for jobs, which were fairly plentiful, if a bit dull- bar work or shop work mainly. After a few hours of looking online I realised the real extent of the massive size of Auckland, and that the jobs advertised were from every corner of the city. So then I started thinking that really I should decide where I wanted to work, I should find somewhere to live and job hunt in that area. But how can you get a house without a job? But how do you get a job without knowing where abouts in the city you’d be able to live? it was at that point that I started thinking about completely restructuring the rest of my trip and coming home early. After all, if I was going to be working a long day, and living my life as if I was in England, but while missing my family and friends, what was the point in staying away? I went to visit a place to live in “trendy Ponsonby”, which was a good omen, as I’d heard a lot of good things about the area. I took a taxi, as I had no idea where to go, and it took me past all these lovely houses and apartments, and the cab driver turned into the road that the house was situated on and my spirits lifted as it was gorgeous. Then it pulled up outside the house I’d come to visit. It was a run down old bungalow that looked like it had been used as a squat for the last ten years, complete with an old bed outside. I couldn’t find anyone around to let me in, even though I’d made an appointment, and left feeling disappointed. But, the rent was cheap, so when I was back at the hostel, I phoned the landlord and said that I’d take the room. Who then informed me that the rent had gone up to $800 dollars with a four month rent deposit, which was just ridiculous amounts of money. Obviously I had to decline the kind offer.

After meeting someone that was staying in the same hostel as me that was in the same predicament, he posed two simple questions to me. “What do you want to do in New Zealand?” and “Why are you here?”, and I couldn’t think of a single answer to either of those questions, and something clicked in my brain- I wanted to go home. As soon as possible. I missed Rick, I missed my family, I was worried about my family as my mum wasn’t very well at the time and was scheduled in for an operation, and there were strange family dynamics that were affecting my whole family following the death of my aunt just before I left. As soon as I realised, I was instantly so much happier, it felt as though a weight had been lifted. I booked my flight the next day and three days later I was on my way home, via Sydney, Hong Kong and Heathrow, to find Rick and my family waiting for me at the gates.

From that day on, everything has passed in a blur, I’ve never known time pass so quickly. Within two months Rick and I had moved in together, and within two months and a week Rick and I were engaged! There’s been trips to St Helens to meet with Rick’s family, a trip to Marrakech for Rick’s birthday, lots of gigs gone to (some memorable, and some not!), fancy dress festivals, a trip to Paris (and to Disneyland!!) and lots of wedding planning. the family business has also expanded, we opened a new shop in may and has been better than any of our expectations! It has meant a lot of hard work, but it’s great seeing it pay off.

Best of all has just been time spent with Rick planning our life together, which has been incredibly exciting and there’s been a lot to learn about living with a partner! In less than six weeks I’ll be married, and onto our first adventure as a married couple- I’m taking Rick to Guatemala, somewhere that meant to much to me at the start of my trip, and somewhere that I knew from the first time I set foot there, that Rick would love it.

I can’t wait!