The Dunedin Days Are Over

Our final couple of days in Dunedin were reminiscent of our first few days in Dunedin.  We spent Sunday visiting friends and sharing food, drink, and hugs.

Sunday morning we met the Wright family at one of our favorite cafes, Eat, for a last (delicious!) brunch.  Sheryl, Mike, Taylor, Brittany, and Emma have been incredibly kind and welcoming to us and our friends since the moment we set foot in Dunedin.  We've gone on holiday with them to Wanaka and Queenstown, watched Sheryl's amazing fern making skills, and had countless dinners at their house.  If the Wrights were in town, any American to grace the door of 229E was invited for dinner - Russ, Ann and Will, Elena, and the parents Barrantes all had the pleasure of Sheryl's cooking and the extended family's company.

Luckily, they are just as crazy as we are.

From there, we popped into Gordon and Mark's, location of many fabulous parties over the past year including our bon voyage party a few weeks ago.  In addition to saying goodbye, there were two other things that we - actually Todd - had neglected to do on previous visits: cheat on Firebolt.

Mark drives a convertible orange Mini Cooper Sport, and Todd had been dying to get behind the wheel to see what a Mini with the steering wheel on the right was like.  Mark was kind enough to let him not only get behind the wheel but take it for a little spin around the neighborhood.  I refused to cheat on Firebolt, so just kept drinking the bubbly with Gordon while Todd and Mark took the car out for a spin.

We love these two!

Poor Frances.

We filled the rest of the afternoon with a visit with Frances who has put up with our antics from the day we arrived.  Our flat went out to dinner to Luna on Sunday to use up a gift voucher the Luna team had given Todd for rewiring their televisions and remotes.  Yum!

After finishing packing on Monday morning, one more trip to the post office was in order to mail one last (big) box.  Luckily, it's filled with pillows and stuffed penguins among other things, so it wasn't too heavy.

I popped into OUSA to give last hugs (Friday was way too early for that), and the genius that is Ellie pointed out that a) I hadn't done a jumping picture in front of OUSA although I had done one in front of the University of Otago sign, and b) she wanted do it with me.  GENIUS!  The results were spectacular.  In the first picture, you'll notice Donna standing and Kitty jumping in the background.  And then, Donna also wanted to be a jumping picture and wanted to do a SCISSOR JUMP!?!  She did it perfectly on the first try.

Ellie saves the day!

Donna, master of the scissor jump

Although I didn't know it until it was over, these were the exact jumping pictures that my collection was missing.  Thank goodness for Ellie Belle.

After grabbing lunch with sports enthusiast and explainer-of-all-NZ-sporting-rules-to-Americans Kate, we finished packing and then picked up Vanessa to head up to Signal Hill.  You may remember (or not) that Vanessa took us to Signal Hill the day we arrived in Dunedin to show us the city.  It was our very first NZ blog post and had pictures of me pointing to things like the University, the curling club, and Vanessa's house.  Obviously a return trip was in order and the light of the sunset was perfect for pictures of all kinds, including jumping.

Flat jump

Flat photo

Back at Signal Hill on our last day in Dunedin

Here's ALL of Dunedin!

 

Dinner was (obviously!) fish and chips, just like we had on our first night in Dunedin...except this time, I wasn't falling asleep in them.  Just as we were finishing, Geoff, Simon, and Megan came by to say goobye...and Megan gave us a card with a graffiti guy we hadn't found on it!!!!!  I mean, is that a great gift or what?

Cumberland Street

Tuesday morning found us at airport with four very heavy bags and lots of company.

How nice are all these peeps for coming to the airport to see us off?

Only very very good friends would wish you well like this...

And just like that, we were through security and flying over cow paddocks, flocks of sheep, and the city we'd come to know as home.  While our Dunedin days may be over, the friendships we made will last a long, long time...so come and visit!  Thanks for an absolutely amazing year.  It's one we will never forget.

Until we see you again...arohanui dear friends.  Arohanui Aotearoa.