No easy way to say farewell

Saying farewell is probably the most difficult aspect of making the move to New Zealand. Over the past weeks we have been able to truly understand the depth of love and affection from our friends and in some cases it has been quite overwhelming. There are no words that can convey the sadness we've felt parting with our friends and we're sure this will be the biggest hurdle when it comes to making the adjustment to moving and living in Auckland. We will take the memories with us and work hard to keep contact frequent and fresh. Who knows, perhaps one day we can pursuade a few of them to make the move and join us down under.



Theo, Gabriela, Ruben, Cristian, Menai and Yasmin tuck in to a light lunch during a farewell weekend which included some of our oldest and trusted friends. All the children have know each other since birth, so although they may not understand the impact of our pending departure, they do realise things are not likely to be the same again.



It was strange to be eating such an ordinary meal when everything surrounding our time together was tainted with a mixture of excitement and sadness. We were able to share our thoughts and speak our mind which is probably a reflection of the openess we have in our enduring friendships.



'Three wise monkeys' - Carolien, George and Alex



And here they look like sisters, which I guess the are.



Yasmin gives Menai a final farewell hug.



Carolien about to set off for the journey home, but it wasn't too long before we were back on the phone. I guess some conversations are never finished.