the m.ellingham returns

I caught some stolen moments with my friend Matt Ellingham last night (see links panel at right). He'd returned to NZ for his 30th birthday - amongst other things. Although he'd been here in New Zealand for 3 weeks or so he wasn't able to make it to see us in Auckland. However, I was determined not to let this guy travel all the way back here only to miss us by a few kms - no way.

The only window of opportunity to catch him was between his domestic flight from Wellington to Auckland and his international departure from Auckland to London - the space of a couple hours. It meant I had to drive 45 mins to the airport to see him - but I've done crazier things (like drive 3 hrs to teach snowboarding) and besides, it was bloody well worth it.

I first met Matt in London when he joined the company I was working for. It was about 4 months after my first holiday in New Zealand so we bonded immediately: sharing stories about kayaking in Punakaiki, mountain biking in Christchurch etc. After that first trip I was already completely in love with New Zealand and so everything Matt said seemed to reinforce the notion that I should head there, permanently.

Matt's workload meant I rarely saw him socially - it was usually just at work when our server stuffed up and he'd come down and do the big fix. I think he liked visiting our design studio, it was a bit less uptight than head office and besides, we had a greasy café downstairs and Matt loved a "dirty burger".

I'm pretty sure that Matt and I would have become really great friends if we'd spent more time together. Sadly, within months of meeting him I was leaving the UK - emigrating to the very country he'd left 2 years before. I remember driving to Clapham in the wintery blackness to give Matt our microwave (we were ditching everything). I met his flatties and then Tracey texted me asking to pick up some bread. Matt kindly volunteered his Vogel's loaf(which I now realise was a huge gesture for a kiwi living in London)

Last night we shot the breeze as if it was very next day. It was like the 2 years since we saw eachother never happened. A catch up over a beer was just the ticket but sadly all too brief. We talked jobs, London, crazy landladies, boy racers and drink driving. He said I looked well and he also said I'd nearly lost my accent - I wasn't sure whether he meant my english accent or the acquired cockney geeza twang that would have permeated my vowels in London.

When it was time, we grabbed some photos and said our goodbyes and resolved to keep in touch. See ya bro - lets hook up next year, South Island styles - yeeah.