The couple got stuck on the islands during their honeymoon and took 30 days to get home on a fishing boat

Fiona and Neville Clifton's honeymoon from New Zealand started off great, but it still didn't end. The couple were stuck in the Falkland Islands, 8,000 km from their home after flights were canceled due to quarantine. Fortunately, the couple managed to negotiate with the crew of the fishing vessel and go home with the sailors half the world away. After 30 days of difficult travel, the couple finally arrived at the port of New Zealand.

Fiona, 48, and Neville Clifton, 54, from Auckland, are happy after a long trip on the Patagonian fishing vessel San Aotea II. Initially, they planned to spend only two weeks in the Falkland Islands. Neville was born here, but moved to South America as a child.

As a result, Fiona and Neville climbed every mountain and walked all around, whiling away the quarantine time in walks. They began to worry whether they would be able to return home to New Zealand. The couple learned that a New Zealand fishing boat was going to return home with the crew and pick up people who had been fishing off the coast of the Falkland Islands for several months — Patagonian toothfish, from another vessel.

Neville's relatives contacted Sanford, the company that owned the boats, and asked for help. The captain was worried about taking a couple of travelers on board a small vessel, which already had 14 crew members. In the harsh conditions in the middle of the ocean, it was not possible to provide full medical care if it was needed.

Indeed, Fiona was sick for the first two days, but then the malaise passed. The couple slept in the cabin, and they were forbidden to go on deck under dangerous circumstances. Gradually they got used to the difficult conditions in the open ocean. Fiona and Neville worked, watched movies, played cards and chatted with fishermen in their free time. The couple helped the crew in small matters, but tried not to interfere with them on the way.

The couple recently arrived at the port of Timaru, New Zealand. From there they will go home to Auckland. After arrival, the crew and travelers spent a mandatory period of isolation on the boat and are now waiting for the results of the Covid-19 test.

Russian Andrey Smirnov, on the contrary, is glad that he got stuck in Fiji during quarantine. He says that during this time he has found real happiness.