The Spirit…

It would be fair to say Rich and I were holding our breath when we got to Nelson dock, hoping/wanting the trip to have gone well for Luca. Dropping him off he looked very unsure, and we worried we had put him into a situation that he would absolutely hate.

We, along with a group of other anxious parents, waited patiently on the wharf. All of us got there early! The ship was docked but there was obviously a lot going on onboard in terms of farewell, and none of the kids seemed to want to get off. When finally, (an hour later), they did come off the ship, there was a lot of tears and hugging going on. I was quite emotional looking at the scene. These kids 10 days ago were complete strangers, now they were sobbing as they left each other.

Luca was in the last group to leave, here he is coming up the wharf towards us

He was glowing, ecstatically happy! His first words were how incredible it was, even the hard parts he described as “all part of the charm”. The kids came from all over the world, and he has made wonderful friendships, this was a major highlight for him. We have not seen him like this for years. It is truly a joy to see him so incredibly enthusiastic about such a challenging experience, so much more than we could have hoped for. He is even talking about going back as a Leading Hand in the future, now that he is apparently, “at one with the ocean” 😊❤️. He thanked us for making him go, (more than once), telling us that it was the best thing ever, and it has changed him forever (in a good way)!

Here are photos that were taken on the journey, (Luca took his camera, no phones allowed).

Rich asked Luca if he missed his phone or computer, his response, “not at all, was having too much fun”. We are thrilled for him that it was such a roaring success!

It was a good drive to Christchurch, listening to him chatting away about his adventures and of course catching up with all his friends in Dunedin. We had an Airbnb in the central city, and I spent the first evening doing washing, it was very ripe from 10 days at sea 😉, am very thankful for that washer/dryer.

The first day Luca headed off into the city to meet a friend from the Spirit. We were happy he had a someone to show him around, much more enjoyable to be with a friend, and one that knows the city was a major bonus!

Rich and I headed there too, it had been 7 years since we were last in Christchurch and we wanted to explore it after the ongoing rebuilding (post the earthquake). It is significantly bigger than Dunedin, (407 000 people as opposed to 104 000). There is a large central park called Hagley Park, we were staying within walking distance of that and the CBD.

After having a bite to eat in the very busy city centre and avoiding getting hit by the trams that run through it, we strolled along the canal watching the punting and enjoying the ambience. However, our legs, still in recovery mode from the hiking, liked the look of the scooters, so we caved and got on – SO MUCH FUN!!!!! We spent 45 minutes zooming all over the park, which is stunning, and through the city. I would have taken more photos but was enjoying the ride too much to stop 😊

The next day was relaxed, we strolled around one of the large shopping centres, had some sushi, went out to Lyttleton (you may remember we strongly considered living here, back when we were searching for a place to settle, when we first arrived in NZ), took this photo and compared it to the last time we were here – oh my heart 😩. Rich went for a swim, and we went home for a Thai Curry, that was truly was sublime!

If you are wondering what the writing is on Luca neck. his friends signed his body before they got off the ship. It will come off eventually – I hope!!!!! 😂

Luca was pretty desperate to stay in Christchurch, as a group of them were meeting up to spend the next day together. We looked at the bus and flight options of him getting home later in the evening or the next day, but they were a no go, so we agreed to stay on and leave later in the day.

Luca was picked up by a friend driving his own car, (another milestone there), Luca now highly motivated to get his licence! Rich and I headed off to spend a few hours at the thrift/vintage stores and then on out to Sumner to the beach for a swim and ice cream 🙂

Then it was time to drive home, Luca said another hard farewell and off we went. We made it home late in the evening, Pica very happy to see us, our house sitter had left earlier in the day. There must have been rain and sun while we were away as the grass is so long and the vege garden is producing like crazy! Tonight, Rich is using potatoes and broccoli from it. We have spent today tidying up, sorting the animals and unpacking.

Tomorrow Luca’s Dunedin friends are apparently all arriving for a camp over in our yard, they have 4 more weeks of holiday, so they want to make the most of it ❤️