Auckland

We left Kerikeri via Hokianga district and the Kauri forests. We stopped off to se Tane Mohuta (God of the Forest) and were very impressed at the size of this 2000 year old kauri. Got to Auckland late afternoon and headed to Ashley and Andy's (my SIL's niece). We had dinner there and delicious baked chocolate marble cheesecake and headed for the Skycity hotel. It is very luxurious and we have a lovely suite.

This morning we went to Waiheke Island but it was way too expensive to go on the car ferry so we just caught the passenger ferry.

Before we left, my Mom phoned me to say that Sally wasn't doing too well. All I wanted to do was get on a plane and head home to be with her. While I was not capable of making decisions regarding the day ahead, my mom phoned back to say she had eaten and seemed to perk up so we headed off.

Around 2pm, the vet phoned me because Sally had collapsed and my mom had taken her straight in to them. The vet put her on a drip and was going to try to keep her going while I got on a plane and flew home to with with her in her last moments. After a number of telephone calls, we realised that I may not even get back in time to be with her and she wouldn't even know me. We asked the vet to wait for my mom to get back to the vet and then put my Sally to sleep. In the meantime, I was sobbing and almost losing it on the bus!

At about the time it was happening, we sat watching the sea and thinking of her at Blackpool Bay. The vet phoned to say that she had gone peacefully and we headed back into Onemara Bay to wait for a ferry back to Auckland. By this time it was 4.45pm and we had had no lunch!

We did go out to dinner tonight at Orbit which is the revolving restaurant at the Sky Tower which was lovely and we toasted my loyal furry companion. Tomorrow we head for National Park.

RIP my precious cat