Auckland, Wellington, Picton, Sydney and Melbourne

I’ve long held two ambitions. The first: to return to Australia before this decade is out. The second: to welcome in a New Year on Sydney Harbour before I turn 30.

I hoped that almost missing my flight would be the worst my trip to New Zealand would have to offer, but thanks to overzealous immigration officials at LAX, that was nothing but a minor blip.

Before the tan disappears I’d like to record my short journey across New Zealand and Australia. So over the next few days, I’ll describe how I ended the decade down-under.

Having arranged my flights into and out of New Zealand before deciding upon an itinerary, meant I had little time to really explore the South Island.

Wellington will remain the most memorable stop on my brief tour of New Zealand, although perhaps not entirely for the right reasons.

Since visiting Sydney in 2003, often considered which city in the world might be my favourite. As I flew over Sydney Harbour I realised there was no contest.

After two and a half weeks exploring various cities, it was finally on to Melbourne, the final stop on my short tour of Australasia.