On Saturday we stayed in Palmerston North until about lunchtime before driving back home to Wellington. En route home we stopped at a couple of fruit stalls to pick up some more fresh fruit, as well as Otaki to look round the shops which is commonly referred to as the cheapest place to shop in New Zealand as it is basically only outlet stores! When we got home it wasn't long before Joss's Dad turned up to pick him up as he was meant to go round there Friday night. Luckily his Dad agreed to let Joss come on holiday with us as he was moving house that weekend so it made it easier for him doing that without Joss. In the evening I decided to pop into Wellington to go to a few bars as I hadn't really had many chances to go out on a Saturday night, and it was a good night meeting a few cool people.
The following day I stayed in Wellington for the day as it was a lovely and sunny day and after the huge amounts of driving and exploring we did up at Hawkes Bay I was pretty tired to go out anywhere too far for the day. As it was the weekend the harbour front had lots of entertainment and stalls going on, and it was market day too so there was lots to do. I also had a look round Te Papa which I always enjoy. When I got back I was absolutely exhausted though as several late nights throughout the week caught up with me! It was nice to get an early night though, and a lie in on top with Joss being round his Dad's for the night.
On Monday Joss came home relatively early because his Dad was working. I think he was glad to be home though after the holiday and then going straight round his Dad's. I spent most of the morning making the house look better as well as sorting his pool out which we emptied before we left. By late afternoon the pool was good to use again and as it was such a nice day it was actually really refreshing. The following day the weather wasn't as great which meant we couldn't go very far, although we did pop into Petone for a bit with Joss to do the shopping, as well as taking Max to the dog wash as he was honking after his stay with a neighbour down the road whilst we were away. He was also seriously malting to the point where clumps of hair were being shed so I gave him a good brush too.
Joss went round his Dad's on Wednesday after lunch which gave me the afternoon off. With my visa expiry fast approaching on March 5th, I therefore finally made a decision on my future which I had been dithering about for a while. I was originally pretty set on applying for a second year visa, although when you take into account the fact you need to pay for a full medical check, the visa application itself, and proof of a flight leaving the country it works out pretty expensive. Liza did offer to sponsor me, although in the end I opted to leave New Zealand, booking a flight to Kuala Lumpur as a gateway to explore Asia, as well as getting myself one step closer to home. Obviously I'll be disappointed to leave New Zealand although I've seen and done a lot in my time there and will almost certainly return in the future, and I feel ready to experience some new cultures and adventures. In the evening I met up with one of the people from Saturday who had promised to take me to this vegan restaurant, and it was actually surprisingly nice!
The following day Joss was round his Dad's all day and night which gave me the day off. The weather however was pretty horrendous so I popped into Wellington to finalise my flight details. While I was there I had a look round the shops. By lunchtime the weather hadn't got any better so I caught the bus up to Karori to look round as I hadn't been there yet. I would have done the city skyline walk if the weather allowed me but it didn't. After a while I decided my best bet of a walk for the day was the Birchville Dam over in the Akatawara Forest near Upper Hutt, as it was sheltered. When arriving at Upper Hutt it was sunny though so I guess Wellington was just having a bad day compared to the Hutt Valley. It was a nice walk although the dam was completely dried up which was a shame.
On Friday Joss came home in the morning as his Dad had work. It was quite a busy day with it being housework day, which always takes a lot longer when Joss is there. We also drove into Wellington in the morning to drop Liza off for her appointments with Joss so by the time we started it was afternoon. When we were finally done I took Joss for a swim in the pool which was a nice and refreshing way to end the day.
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