Wellington - reunited

The day finally came – the exile was over and I could reunite with my family. I Ubered over to the port, checked in with security, and was on board by 8:00. It was wonderful to be able to hug Liz, Thomas, and DJ again. Many “welcome back” greetings from passengers and crew as well, which was very nice.

I dumped my luggage in the room and we headed out for our port day in Wellington. It was a bit strange doing a port visit to a city I’d been living in for nearly three weeks, but at the same time it was nice to be able to show Liz and the boys where I’d been. We went to Zealandia, which I’d been to twice already but which I find incredibly beautiful and peaceful. We got good looks at Kakas, both flying and eating at the feeders. We ate at the café there, then walked back down to the city via the botanic gardens.

We popped in a few stores, including the Lego store, and then headed back to the ship. Unbeknownst to me, Liz and some fellow conspirators aboard had set up a welcome back gathering for me in Horizons. DJ lured me up there and I got a nice surprise from the 25 or so assembled people wishing me a welcome back aboard. We had some champagne and some cake and I was able to thank people for their incredible support during my exile.

With a lot of walking and a lot of reunions it made for a physically and emotionally exhausting day. I was in bed early, very happy to be back with my family and our floating village.Read more