At 7.15am this morning – Sunday 24 February 2013 – we arrived at Auckland International Airport on NZ1 from Los Angeles, after the last leg of a journey which began on Sunday 25 March 2012, 48 weeks previously. Today is Day 337.
We’ve travelled 114,433 kilometres (approximately!) and visited 55 different countries on 5 different continents. We’ve been on 32 flights, 17 ferries or ships, and uncounted numbers of buses, taxis, trains, metros, trams, gondolas. We’ve even ridden bikes……slowly.
Between us, we have taken 14,204 photographs – which is only about 42 per day. But if we have a slide show and only look at each picture for 10 seconds, it will still take 39 hours, 27 minutes and 20 seconds to watch the lot. Anyone keen??
Everyone always wants to know – what was your #1 favourite place? But you need to know, before you ask, that there is no definitive answer to that question for us because we loved every country we visited. They are all different and all have different attributes – mostly good, only a few bad. There are just far too many highlights to single any one place out, but over the coming weeks as a few more blog posts see the light of day, some other great memories will be no doubt be revealed. By the way, thank you all for reading the blog so far – it’s been fun bringing it to you over the past 11 months or so.
And this brief post was about numbers – amongst them there are two that especially stand out….1 and 2. For ONE absolutely fantastic travel experience and TWO very lucky people who enjoyed it thoroughly from start to finish…..
Oh, and about the favourite place? Alright then, if you insist, here it is:
MALAYSIAVIETNAMCAMBODIAINDIANEPALMAURITIUSSOUTHAFRICAZI
MBABWEZAMBIAKENYATANZANIAQATARTUNISIAMOROCCOENGLANDF
RANCEBELGIUMNETHERLANDSGERMANYDENMARKSWEDENNORWAYF
INLANDESTONIALATVIALITHUANIAPOLANDLUXEMBOURGSWITZERLAN
DAUSTRIALIECHTENSTEINITALYSANMARINOMONACOSPAINGIBRALTAR
PORTUGALANDORRACROATIABOSNIAANDHERZOGOVINASLOVENIAWAL
ESRUSSIAIRELANDNORTHERNIRELANDSCOTLANDICELANDUNITEDSTAT
ESOFAMERICAARUBACOLOMBIAPANAMACOSTARICANICARAGUAMEXICO
The Moffats on Tour Blog 
good to have you back in the country and it’ll be even better to see you!
Ditto. When can we make that happen I wonder? We will call ASAP – bit tired today though perhaps…..
Dear Pauline and Andrew, we will really miss your update’s as the two of you have travelled around the globe, even one of our daughters has enjoyed your blogs (on an unauthorised basis of course !). What amazing stories you will be able to recount in the years to come and well done to you both for undetaking such a special journey. If you are in the Wanaka area at all please do contact us – there is also plently of room as we are normally “Ma and Pa Kettle” these days !
Cheers Ian. We’ll be sure to look you up when we make it to Wanaka, but not sure when that will be at this stage. Glad you enjoyed the blog…..
How’s retirement anyway – are you keeping busy, and wondering how you ever had time to go to work?? 🙂
Welcome home and thank you both for spending the time to post your thoughts and photos from each place you have visited. I have thoroughly enjoyed your observations and your humour.
Glad we’ve been able to entertain you Rose…see you soon!
Andrew & Pauline – thanks heaps for an entertaining ride! Think you’ve missed your calling though – you should be writing – I hope you’re going to talk to a publisher about your first book…!
Megan Eade
Do you really think people would buy such a book Megan? I don’t know….but it’s been fun writing it! I think there are a few more chapters to come yet too….
Welcome Home !! Regards and best wishes Ronda phone + 64 03 4558110 mobile 021 031 8753 38B Bellona Street, St. Kilda Dunedin 9012 New Zealand
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Thank you Rondypots!
Great to know that you are both safely home in NZ. What an amazing journey you have been on! Wonderful journaling all the way, we have loved reading your blogs and agree it would make a terrific book. We never did hear if you sold your Dunedin house, so will you be buying in Auckland and staying up there or heading south again? We hope to catch up with you again some time, Nita and Robert, Melbourne, Aust.
Yes, we’re in Auckland….the Dunedin house finally sold in September when we were in Oberammergau so there were a few emails back and forth, but it all went through successfully. Now living with Lawren and Brenton meantime and will look for a place of our own when I’ve got a job. (Assuming that I don’t make a fortune as an author!)
Welcome Andrew & Pauline. How will you ever settle down after such an amazing journey? We have really enjoyed reading your blogs and do hope we can catch up sometime when you are in Dunedin.
Kind regards,
Noeleen & Russell.
Hi there – we look forward to a catch up when we’re down…we have a flying visit soon but very little time so perhaps when we are down for a bit longer in early August? It would be great to compare a few notes with you – there’s probably too many people who know much about visits to Lithuania…
welcome back, when you are up to it give us a call, we would love to catch up. Going to miss the blogs.
wendy and brent
Great to read your magnificient accounts over the last year – like Megan said, you could become a travel writer! A weekly ritual was to check the ‘moffsaway’ site.
Best wishes as you unwind and settle down.
Ken Clark
Thanks Ken – it’s great to hear that you’ve enjoyed the blog. Keep watching for a while, there’s a few more posts to come I think, before I get a real job and don’t have enough time anymore!!
Thanks Malcolms….yes, we will give you a call. A little birdy tells us that you have a bit more time to catch up at the moment?? We’ll be in touch soon….