Pete went to Croydon to check out where he lived and went to school as a teen. I just knew it was going involve a lot of walking so stayed back to sort out some washing and admin. Today was VOTE NZ day. Our vote is going to make all the difference…lol.

We found the NZ High Commission and went through airport type security. No need to provide ID, they just needed to know what electorate, gave us the forms and told us how to fold and envelope the completed forms.

The usual home of the High Commission is undergoing restoration work because it is apparently a Grade 2 listed heritage building. It’s the ugliest building that looks like it came from the soviet era. Anyway, I finally got to see the building that Pete sat his School Certificate exams in all those decades ago.

Then we strolled through St James Park with its lovely English gardens. We came across empty deck chairs – the charges explained why they were empty. Continued on to Buckingham Palace which was tourist central and up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch. Then over to Hyde Park for an ice cream. We asked for the advertised single cone with flake for £4.75 each. They had run out of flakes so we suggested it should be cheaper. Suddenly the English wasn’t so good. The girl the suggested the chocolate topping which would be another 50p and she was quite bewildered when we laughed. We got the extra chocolate sauce for no extra cost as a matter of principle.

Following around the Serpentine we came across the Princess Diana Memorial – a bit underwhelming. And then the Prince Albert memorial – which is massively overwhelming opposite the impressive Royal Albert Hall.
At the end of the day, I was pleased to have chosen the washing/ admin duties. Pete had walked over 33,000 steps.