E noho ra, Aotearoa.

One last morning in New Zealand. We breakfast on a well-stocked buffet at our accommodations, the Hotel de Brett, in Auckland city center. Most of the day is spent shopping — gifts, knickknacks, a new shirt for Eric, a possum tail for Tusker…the day goes quickly, and we soon find ourselves back at Auckland International Airport. There, on the runway, we find a plane decorated nose-to-tail in a Hobbit ad.

If you got it, flaunt it…New Zealand Air, and the country itself, may seem a little overboard with Lord of the Rings / Hobbit-themed advertisements. But there’s a reason Peter Jackson chose this land as a setting for his retelling of Tolkien’s stories (beyond being kiwi himself): New Zealand has it all. Soaring mountains, rolling, welcoming countryside, open ocean, deep caves, warm people, great food.

We’ve had the honeymoon of a lifetime. These islands on the other side of the world from our home have treated us well. E noho rā, Aotearoa.