Sydney

Arriving in Sydney really felt like the beginning of the end of our big trip. It is similar to New Zealand in many ways (compared with most of the places we have visited) and being with friends and family made it seem even more like home.

Adrian's friend John and my brother Richard met us at the airport. Familiar faces waiting for us were a very welcome sight! They took us to John's house in Loftus, where we spent our first four nights. Richard stayed for a BBQ, our first of the Australasian summer. It was great to catch up with John and Sarah and to finally meet their three-year-old son Patrick, as well as to see Richard of course.

John and Sarah were on leave for most of our visit and are excellent hosts. We very much enjoyed spending time with them after so long. Eleanor and Leo had lots of fun with Patrick. They particularly enjoyed a swim in John and Sarah's pool, a trip to an indoor play area and visiting Symbio, a zoo where they saw a tiger and fed tame kangaroos, ponies and llamas.

We then spent two nights at Richard's flat in Bondi. There we met his lovely girlfriend Keira and had a delicious home cooked meal to which they invited some of their friends, including Nick and Simone who we haven't seen since early in our time in London.

Richard took a day's leave, so we spent it relaxing at the beach, shopping and visiting the playground. Eleanor had her first surfing lessons with Richard. She found the water a little chilly after Sri Lanka and has a way to go before she'll be joining him in the big waves, but she really enjoyed it.

It is a great feeling to know that in Wellington we will be just a short flight from our friends and family in Sydney, including those we didn't manage to see this time, and we are very much looking forward to seeing Richard and Keira over Christmas.