A BROTHER and sister were re-united for the first time in 50 years after she travelled half way around the world.

Christine Harrison and Michael Brown were separated when Christine was six months old following the death of their thirty-year-old mother, Winifred.

Christine, 58, of Brownhill Drive, Blackburn, was adopted by her aunt Jeannie Jones -- who could not have children herself -- when she was just a baby. But her brother continued to live with their father John, in Cleethorpes.

For 12 years the pair believed they were cousins and then fear of upsetting relatives and lack of transport preventing them getting together.

Now Christine has just returned from an emotional month-long trip to properly get to know her only sibling for the first time - 11,500 miles away in Hamilton, New Zealand.

And the pair are determined to fill in all the gaps of their family tree dating back to the 1800's and find out as much as possible about their family history.

A brief contact last year sparked the reunion and after a generous whip-round by her two children for the £700 aeroplane ticket, Christine embarked on her first ever flight to see her 62-year-old brother.

She said: "The whole experience has been an emotional journey."

"It is quite an eye opener to see how two lives, so closely linked at the beginning, just develop to be worlds apart." Michael moved to New Zealand in his 30s for a research job.

Christine met her thirteen nieces and nephews on the trip and found out her brother is an avid stamp collector.

The siblings are now trying to find out about their grandparents Edmund and Susannah or Ann Hill, born in 1878 and 1880 respectively, who were married at the Congregational Church in Brierfield in 1901.

They are thought to have lived in Peronne Crescent in Blackburn.

She said: "Michael had never even seen a picture of his mother .

"Our grand parents have five great grand children that they may never know."

Michael said: "The most amazing experience was how quickly we, including my wife Kath, all became at ease and relaxed with each other."