4/2/2026 trials and tribulations of finding accommodation and flights

Oh my goodness, what a fabulous  bed, it  is so comfortable and the unit is incredibly peacefulI. Stupidly I ended up hunting for flights and accommodation instead of going to sleep, which I am regretting slightly, particularly as I failed to find anything. When I finally gave it up as a bad job I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow!  

It was so nice to get up, shower, make some breakfast, sit in a comfy chair and drink my coffee before I began the hunt again.  All day I sat there searching for what I needed and coming up short. My other problem was I needed to do laundry and also had to top up a few things from shopping.  So time wasn’t on my side.  I finally managed to find a flight that worked and was just about to book it and I realised it was carry on only and no option to upgrade to checked luggage ffs. 

Many years later, well it felt like years but it was in actuality a few hours,  I had a phone call from  Morg and he had the simplest of solutions. Book somewhere else in NZ for another two days and take the pressure off myself and then sort out Samoa. I’d found a motel a stone's throw away from where I am now and as luck would have it, they have a vacancy til Saturday which gives me an extra 2 days to get my laundry done and essential supplies topped up.  

Thank god for Morgan, my tired stressed brain just couldn’t function logically so I’m very grateful for his practical sensible being!  Once again I am forced to ask the question; Just who is the parent here?

I managed to get some accomodation booked until Saturday which did indeed take the pressure off  and I relaxed a little bit and eventually stopped crying. The amount of tears is simply ridiculous and extremely annoying, but it’s just all a bit overwhelming.  I had really wanted to chill out with Morg for a few days before heading off again, because I am just exhausted from the Cook Islands trip. What I could probably do with is a handful of man the fuck up pills,  and then giving myself a good talking to! 

I walked down to the beach to clear my head and just sat on a bench watching the ocean. No big waves, just a gentle lapping at the shore. It’s all good and all very relaxing. As I was feeling a bit better I walked to St Helier as the sun was out. 

Morg finished work around 1600 and told me to ring him when I got tired and he’d come and pick me up. So  I rang him when I was at the bottom of his hill, because that bloody thing is too steep for me today!  He gave me instructions to sit on the bench halfway up and have a rest.  It’s more or less opposite the house he’s working on at the moment.  Actually I wasn’t going to argue with him on that one, it was further than I anticipated. 

He was there in minutes, bless him and very  impressed with how far I’d come.  I hauled myself up into his truck  and we went shopping before going to pick up something for dinner. I am still struggling to eat so Morg had a pizza with some chips which we then brought back to my temporary new home to eat.

Morg very much appreciates the separate seating space and comfy chairs to sit in rather than having to sit in just one room!  Once he’d eaten his pizza he went home as he’s as knackered as I am. While I've been in the Cook Islands the weather has been really hot and humid in Auckland. Unfortunately those beautiful, but enormous windows in his room, have had the sun shining through them all day. His room has no air con so he's been struggling to sleep as it's been so hot. It’s a bit cooler tonight so hopefully he’ll get a decent sleep. 

When he left all I could smell was  the scent from the giant yellow lillies that are growing outside the unit. As my phone was on charge, I will have to take a photo of them in the morning, but they are just bloody beautiful. 

Check out in the morning is at 1100 which is nice and late so no rush to get up early thank goodness. It also gives me plenty of time to pack my bags again ready for the move because I cannot be arsed to be doing that tonight. Thank you very much! 

Much Love

Mrs Leonard 

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