Kia ora Wellington

Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Bangkok to Auckland, and finally, a short stroll in the New Zealand summer rain to the domestic terminal, to complete the last leg of my journey to Wellington, the windiest and southernmost capital city in the world, the first one to see the sun rise each day.

The downpour was short lived, giving way to a blissful two weeks of hot summer days. The first was spent wandering the city on bustling streets that gave way to forest paths, leading in turn to mountainous lookout points. Here, on top of Mount Victoria, 195 meters above sea level looking out over the Cook Strait, you begin to get a sense of the scale of New Zealand's beauty.

A beauty which, a few days later, had my nose pressed up against the car window as we drove a couple of hours outside the city to the Wairarapa coast. I've been fortunate enough to see some picturesque sunsets in my life, but as the clarion day fell drowsily into the arms of dusk, the sky above the mountains was suffused with a rosy hue that, framed by the endless rolling hills of Aotearoa's famous landscape, was breath taking. As night fell, a carpet of luminous stars hovered above us, making it easy to see why over 4,000 square kilometers of this country have recently been recognised as an International Dark Sky Reserve.

At Glenburn, there was nothing between us and the Antarctic. Just 3,000 miles of the Southern and South Pacific Ocean and the remote Chatham Island archipelago. Here, strolling along the expansive coastline at what feels like the end of the world, delicately picking up scattered whale vertebrae the size of dinner plates, you can't help but feel somewhat connected to this vast landscape. There really aren't enough synonyms for green to fully convey the viridescence of this country, one which accompanies you even alongside the highway, all the way back to the city.

Wellington has that infectious combination of urban energy and verdant charm. It's a city to imbibe in, with hundreds of coffee shops in a density that rivals New York City, 18 craft beer breweries registered with the Brewers Guild of New Zealand and numerous food markets. Sitting side by side to the expansive nature reserves, parks and protected green spaces is the cultural heart of New Zealand, with arts festivals happening throughout the year.

Wellington has a laid back charm that makes other major cities look frenetic in comparison. You can't help but fall in love with the mellow energy here, and it has so far proved to be a mere peek through the keyhole of what's in store for the rest of these two islands. Here, 12,000 miles away from where I started, life is good.

Back again

Over the summer, in the absence of any adventure of my own, I had, of late, taken to reading about others. Paul Theroux's The Great Railway Bazaar is an account of his 1973 journey by train from London to Japan and back again. Three decades later, Theroux boards the train in London once again, to retrace his cross-continent pilgrimage in his follow up book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star. Before departing, Theroux reflects on the journey ahead;

It is almost impossible not to return to an early scene in your traveling life and not feel like a spectre.

This time last year I had found myself back in the UK after half a year of blissful travel across Southeast Asia. There, I had found what I sought and in recording it had put to paper many travel clichés. For my final stop, I had found myself in the Thai island of Koh Lanta, helping out in a treehouse style hostel, where I made many of my fondest memories.

I turned the idea of returning to this little corner of the world over in my mind for a few months, caught between my desire to be back and my concern that what I might find there would not match the rose tinted filter of retrospect. Eventually, like all good travel decisions, I let my heart book my flight and in November I boarded a plane for Bangkok. I reasoned with myself to go with no expectations and to compartmentalise the events of the previous year. A good friend told me it will be the experience you are meant to have. As I disembarked in Bangkok, I whispered this under my breath as I retrieved the same backpack, headed for the same destination, almost exactly one year later.

Of all the eventualities, the one I feared the most was feeling like Theroux's spectre, the ghost at the feast. I walked back into Chill Out House, my circadian rhythm somewhere above the clouds between Heathrow and Suvarnabhumi, a bag of nerves, but all too soon the comfort of familiarity and the warm welcome of the Chill Out family soothed me. It was good to be back, to complete the circle. It's a powerful (and sometimes life-changing) thing. Take these two Lanta lovers, returning to the island four years after first meeting at Chill Out House, to do the thing and make a pledge of their everlasting love in front of friends and family.

The general pattern of both life and travel propels us forward, too often we find our minds jumping to the next location before we have fully accepted and appreciated the current one. Returning to Koh Lanta was, for me, a chance to be for a moment, to both reflect on previous journeys, and the one I am about to undertake, another 6,000 miles away.

Koh Lanta, you've been great. See you next week New Zealand.