Kia Ora! {LON - TYO - AKL}

 Ahh... after almost three days of travel we finally touched down in Auckland last night. As you can imagine our last few weeks in the UK were pretty manic, so it feels nice to be here with Dan's parents. And be warm. I love being warm. 

(Last minute pics from Heathrow airport.)

We had a great stopover in Tokyo on the way to NZ. It was just over a day, but we still managed to check out some favourite haunts in Harajuku and test out the new branch of Zoka's, a Seattle coffee shop that's just opened in Tokyo.

Our jet lag cure has been baths and coffee. At our Japanese style inn (think tatami mats and roll out futon) there was an outdoor hot spring (onsen), so we went for a plunge just before midnight and slept like babies.

Even after a day, being in New Zealand feels amazing. For me, it's the perfect antidote to London: warm, spacious, good coffee. Today our itinerary included going for coffee with Dan's parents at a beach side cafe. I ordered a latte and a muffin and check it out (top left)! It was massive and came with a fresh fruit salad! Absolute awe. I'm not saying that all British food is awful (there's some good stuff), but when you go to a restaurant in London it's like Russian roulette - you have not idea what to expect except for an outrageous bill at the end. I think New Zealand may do a lot to revive my faith in eating out.

Well, much more to come from NZ in the weeks to come. Just want to say that we made it!