A much needed break

February heralded my much awaited trip to New Zealand to see friends and family and recover from the dull and damp English winter. I was lucky enough to be granted two full weeks of sunshine, and got to enjoy the variety of outdoor activities that my home town offers, including the new foot bridge across the Manawatu River, He Ara Kotahi. Meaning “to bring people together”, the bridge does just that, heralding an increase in both foot traffic and bicycles, and was consistently well used every time I visited.

With both coffee and ice cream vans, the bridge allows for multiple walks along the river and towards the University, and is well worth a visit for locals and tourists alike.

It was a blessing to be able to spend time with close friends and attend a lovely wedding, however my favourite part was being able to sit and spend time with my parents, especially in their beautiful garden. My mother has recently returned to New Zealand from a year of volunteering in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, and to have both her and my father together in one house again was the best feeling of all.

I was lucky to be able to travel to Wellington to spend time with my brother and his fiance, recently returned from a number of years in Ethiopia, and enjoy time in the “Coolest Little Capital”, the city in which I spent most of my university years.

Returning to town after nearly a year proved a strange and eerie experience, feeling myself pulled in multiple directions, and unsure of where I belonged. I am reminded daily of the extremely unique and lucky position that I am in, to be able travel to world and experience adventure, all while having a solid family base to be able to return to.