An Extraordinary End to a Remarkable Tail

The day had arrived. We'd bid our final farewells to London, worked out our notice and packed our bags. With more than just clothes. Wrapped lovingly in toilet paper and nestled very carefully in a Ferroro Rocher container sat Duke Fluffington and The Mouse. We were about to embark on our journey home and I was damned if we were going to leave them behind. Our itinerary was very loose - start off in Greece, make our way to Turkey, then make it up from there. We each had one small backpack so space was at a premium but they were Top Priority. 

They turned out to be perfectly fine travel partners, nestled at the bottom of a backpack, until I reached the Galapagos Islands, a National Park with very strict bio-hazard screening and entry restrictions, so I entrusted the precious cargo with our hotel concierge on the mainland. 

Following our amazing dive trip and with Duke and The Mouse safely back in our hands, the final and hardest hurdle was getting them safely back into New Zealand, also renowned for its strict biosecurity standards. Dad and I were to fly into New Zealand together, then I was bound for the International Departure lounge and Australia to be reunited with Mike and visit Chris and Nicole and the girls. The critical task of getting Duke and The Mouse into New Zealand now fell on Dad's shoulders. 

I was incredibly anxious about getting Duke and The Mouse safely home. We'd had such a journey together, there was no way we could part ways now. I implored Dad to do whatever it took to get them home - fumigation, quarantine, impart with large sums of cash, appear on the television show Border Patrol - whatever it took! 

Dad dutifully waited in line at Customs with his Passenger Arrival Card, stating that he had "Animals or Animal Products" to declare. The Customs Officer asked him what it was he had and he proferred the Ferroro Rocher container. Taxidermied hamsters can't turn up every day and the poor man obviously decided this was above his paygrade so decided to get his superior to take a look. Upon further inspection, the supervisor asked Dad if Duke Fluffington and The Mouse in all their DIY taxidermy glory had been "professionally done". To which Dad responded that "money changed hands", and that was that! They got the stamp of approval and sauntered through customs - Welcome to New Zealand!  

The next year was spent acclimating ourselves back in the 'real world' with real jobs, getting a new and even fluffier pet (our cat Pistachio) and planning our wedding for November 2019. When we were deciding on our wedding cake (tiers of smoked brie, cheddar and Morbier cheese rounds), we couldn't think of a more fitting idea than to include our former pet and his accomplice in our wedding, as our cake toppers! 

Duke Fluffington and The Mouse are now happily settled in our very own home in Featherston under the fascinated watch of our son, Nikau, our corgi, Owain Tiberious (Ty) and Pistachio. Treasured reminders of an amazing adventure - three and a half years living in London, seeing Europe and travelling back home - that we'll never forget.