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168 | 365 - Almost home

To have a home, a real home, a safe home, a loving home, is there any sweeter thing?
 
Home is a place, but not the building. Home is the people, the laughter, the sadness, the exciting and the mundane.
 
At home you are best known and best cared for.
 
And yet for many many people in New Zealand don’t have a home. They have a place they call home, a roof over their heads. But it is not a home, certainly not in the sweetest sense of the word.
 
I flew to Christchurch yesterday morning for meetings, was scheduled to get home at 8:30pm last night. By lunch time our meetings were done, and Tere graciously dropped me at the airport and I caught the last direct afternoon flight.
 
I was home for dinner, home to chat with my kids. I was tired as it has been a very busy last 7 days. But I was home.
 
There is no sweeter thing.
 
 
168 | 365 – This is a shot of the Q300 as we turn onto finals over the Waikato River to land home in Hamilton.

In Welly...

I stayed at the Wellington Airport Motor Lodge last night in Lyall Bay. Something about waking up, seeing and hearing waves, even on a wet and windy day, makes the small basic room worth it.

Will stay here again....

Royal Albatross Centre

While down south Karina & I visited the Royal Albatross Centre.

I was blown away by two things.

1) The distance and speed these birds fly. One Bird calked Toroa (with GPS tracking) flew from Dunedin to South America. Top speed 109 km per hour, and did 1020km in one day.

2) The rubbish that is in our oceans. Picture one is taken of a dead Albatross chick that was found, and the rubbish in its gut. Picture 2 is the rubbish arranged in a mural. (click to enlarge images)

Thanks to Kate at the Royal Albatross Centre for the picture of the Albatross Chick.

Excess baggage here I come - Melbourne Day 2

Went exploring this fine city, caught a wrong train, missed a bus and walked for about an hour. Oh well. The buses trains and trams are an amazing network. I suspect if you know where you are going rather than just following your nose they would work a heap better as well.

Late yesterday afternoon I went to the Melbourne Observation Deck (tallest building in Australia). Stunning views and a beautiful day. And I finally worked out which way North is so I will do heaps better today.

Oh and I brought some books. 22 of them in fact (15 for me). I was worried at one point that they might have to physically remove me at closing time.

I know 15 books sounds excessive, but they are books you simply don’t find in NZ and I am not here often.

Today I have a rental car and am going to the freight expo. I ran out of time to get to an automated sorting depot yesterday.

Melbourne Day 1

Got into Melbourne around 6pm on Sunday night. Immediately I noticed the infrastructure. They actually have a motorway that goes from the airport to the city without have to drive through the suburbs, unlike Auckland!

Secondly I noticed the architecture, both old and modern. It is astounding and visually cool.

Yesterday I caught the train to Caulfield and spent the whole day at the careers day at Freight week so haven’t really explored yet.   

Then last night went and found some dinner and a Music shop that was open late. I couldn’t help myself I brought some old music that I have been missing for years I am a CD and MP3 boy now and have no mechanism for playing tapes and dear I say it records that I own. Dire Straights (I think I originally brought this album in the form of a record), Howard Jones, Crowded House and Lighthouse family.

I listen to Dire Straights as I type. It’s been a while.

Today is a day off so I am off to explore this fine city in day light. I am hopefully going to con my way into a transport business with automated sorting (geeky logistics thing). I will I am sure buy some books and drink much coffee.