The land.

Not long after we arrived in Opunake, James called us. His voice was excited, and loud, as he shouted over the gusting wind. "We are at the section, come and meet us!".

Hopping back in the car, we drove a short way out of the village, and there at the edge of a paddock waving his arms and smiling, we saw James, beckoning us to turn in.

At the end of a muddy track was the plot of land that James and Dugan had purchased a few years previously. The moment, we stepped out of the car, we were wrapped in the warm embraces of our friends. "What do you think?" asked Dugan with a nervous smile.

We were stood on a section of land, edged on one side by established hedging between us and the neighbouring farmland, and on the other, it sloped away to a reserve below. I looked out across the reserve, densely packed with lush native trees and shrubs, to where it formed a gully between two gentle cliff faces, revealing beyond it, the glittering ocean and the sun setting on the horizon. I pulled my cardigan around me tighter, as the sea breeze whipped against me, and enjoyed breathing in the salty air. "It's beautiful" I exhaled.

"Yes, and look behind you!" said James laughing. I spun around, and there was Mount Taranaki, soaring through the clouds.

I'll be honest, it all felt a little unreal. Here, our plans, our hopes and dreams, suddenly felt tangible.

The next day, we met with Nicki from Landmark Homes to discuss the build. With the benefit of her patient guidance and expertise, we spent an amiable and productive two hours, looking over plans, considering alterations and refining details.

My kids, asked to be quiet and handed a device, spent two hours, taking photos of themselves with imaginary creatures from Pokémon go! We made it up to them later with a lovely lunch, ice cream sundae and a play in the park, along the beautiful promenade in New Plymouth.

This was another big leap on our journey to build our own business, and together we were full of excitement.