VISA Woes

First, a little background.  The first VISA we received to be in Australia was only a short-term VISA, for three month only.  That meant we would have to leave the country every three months so the VISA could be res-stamped on the return and be good for another three month period.  Before we left the U.S. Kyle spent many hours putting together and sending all the paperwork needed to extend our three month, short-term VISA, to a long-term VISA, which would enable us to stay in AU and not have to leave.  We arrive in AU in August and go through September and most of October, getting closer to the time when our short-term VISA will expire.  Inquiries into our long-term VISA show that it hasn't even been sent to the embassy to be lodged yet.  So, we wait and hope that it will be taken care of at the same time we are planning a trip to New Zealand should we need it.
We needed it.  At first we were only going to be gone from Saturday to the following Tuesday.  More information on the VISA came back and we learned we had to be out of the country when the VISA paperwork arrived at the embassy, was opened and processed.  Our short trip to NZ wasn't going to be long enough.  We change our flights, accommodation reservations, rental car.  We plan more places to go and things to do.  It has been amazing and wonderful but we are now ready to return home.
It is now Thursday morning, the day before we fly back to AU and we receive more information.  The day the VISA was supposed to be sent out in order to make it to the embassy, be opened and processed in time for us to return on schedule was pushed back two days.  Meaning, that on this morning before we return to AU, the paperwork still hasn't arrived at the embassy.  Once it does, it will take two or three more days for everything else to happen to it.  Are we leaving NZ yet?  It looks like it won't happen but miracles do happen.  Kyle is not happy with the way things have been handled.  For some reason, our VISA papers are being sent to the Australian embassy in Ottowa, Canada.  Why, is another very good question.  We are not Canadian and the people handling our paperwork know this.  We were told it was being sent to the Austrailan embassy in Washington D.C.  Why couldn't the AU government in AU take care of it?  Who knows what will happen but we are within 24 hours of our flight back home. Keeping my fingers crossed.
By the way, we have spent so much more on this trip than we would have spent to have our paperwork expedited.