Homeward bound, day 16, beginning of the end

Last day in NZ and boy are we ready to go home. 1st we see off the kiwi contigent. Gappa, Marsh, Stu, Mrs Stu and the flower power bus. We are given the web site pillow cases as a last souveneir and empty the bus of rubbish/t shirts/hats/food/papers/magazines/keyrings etc
Its sad to see them go as it shows the tour is really over and it's been hell of a ride.
The 1st focal point of the day is the (sponsored) jump off the sky tower (LINK) by Rob Sheep and Deano. i find another copy of (NZ) rugby news that has a small feature on the Warriors whilst we're waiting. The tower is blydi tall but as we watch some people come down it their slogan: Hard on the mind - easy on the body, looks about right as there is no real free fall. Not that I could have even looked off the edge mind!
Once they jump off and we look at the video we go shopping down the harbour. I find a Manawatu v Lions t shirt I was looking for (that caotic 1st night now seems so far away) and the boys buy a lot of stuff in the 'Lions Den' shop. Everything is at least 1/2 price. Lee gets a coat with about 60% off plus any top of his choice. Nothing really takes my fancy as I know I'll be getting the AB-Lions jersey and I already have a fleece. The boxer shorts are especially PANTS! It takes us a while to get around because Louie and Rich hapus are hobbling for Wales but we have food in a shopping mall with an excellent chinese counter.
We then make our way back still buying plastic kiwi dolls and other nick nacks. My haul for Claire includes an All Blacks oven glove and a nice t towel to go with the pillow cases.
Back at the hotel we book taxis for later, have a photo with the hotel photographer and do a final shot for the tv company who give us a nice card and some cds of 'NZ music'. We cram/squeese/jump on/squash/push/pull and crush stuff into our bags. I manage to get everything in, even stuff I don't care about. We have a lost and found sale of (Welsh) keyrings, paper weights and other crap we can't be arsed to take back to wales. About 6 sleeping bags are left behind.
Food is down the Queens head again. A quiet night of contemplation with our time in NZ running out. As time draws on we notice the jackpot hasn't dropped yet. 14 chip in and drop NZ$ 970 and the 2nd go, pissing off a lot of orientals who were playing for it. It is virtally the last thing we do before heading back up Queens St 1 last time.
Catch taxis-head to airport.
In the check in me , Lee, Louie and the kit get a bit left behind. Mine and Lees bags are both overweight. (41kg instead of 30 in my case). I dump my boots (sniff), put everything I can in other bags and my hat (yes that hat) wear my fleece and donkey jacket, the lady FINALLY accepts our bags and agrees that the kit is between 19 of us, not 3. We head up to departures but when we try to weigh in the hand luggage I have 13kg (7kg limit). Robo cop ("Halt- please put your baggage onto the scales sir-that is over the limit sir etc) informs us that we can try and check it onto the plane. Eventually, sweating like pigs, we manage this without sur charge. What the fuck is all that about. feels like walking on air now I'm not wearing 16 layers and lugging 13kg+ around.
We go off to departures, have a coffee, stop one of the boys paying for a 2 dollar bottle of coke with a 500 dollar note even though he's got a tonne of change in his pockets and eventually board the plane....