LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN

2:00 PM flight departing Auckland for San Francisco (first time flying through the U.S.!), then on to London Heathrow, arriving 7:30 AM Tuesday the 7th (UK time).

Airports are always emotional places — plenty of tears at the departure gate when I left Mum and Dad for six months. Then I set off on my trip.

First time flying with United Airlines via San Francisco, and it was a very pleasant trip. The first leg was 12½ hours, with a six-hour layover at San Francisco Airport, then a 10-hour flight to London.

I was greeted at London Airport by my aunt and uncle; it just felt like being at my second home again. A few hours’ travel by car back to Bingham and I got to see “Buddy” again. Buddy is my Citroën Relay camper van — I’ll give you a full tour of Buddy at a later date.

It was the warmest day of 2026 in the UK, reaching a high of 22°C, so of course I went for a walk to stretch my legs and enjoy an ice cream with my cousin Ruby.

On Wednesday I spent the day with Uncle Robert getting Buddy ready for the road trip: oil and filter change, new cabin filter, and an hour figuring out how to reset the service interval. I flushed the water system, refilled the gas bottle, and gave everything a thorough check.

All set and ready to go! The first few days in the UK are going well.