The end of NZ

Well it has been a while, and since Rob has done most of the writing I thought it was about time I wrote an entry instead.

We last wrote just before visiting the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Dunedin for my birthday – Rob failed to mention the balloons he blew up and the little notes inside each one with a present for me (bless!) – including dinner out that night (delicious), $10 to spend at the chocolate factory shop (I spent $13 instead!), and, amongst other things, a hot air balloon ride! More on that later. The point is that, although it rained pretty much all day (the first time I spend my birthday in summer…), it was really special and I had a lovely time.

We also visited the Speights Brewery in Dunedin and ended up staying an extra night due to van problems, before heading back inland through some amazingly stunning scenery and going to Mount Cook, Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo – all beautiful places, the lakes are the bluest blue you have ever seen! However we were constantly a little distracted by the fact that we knew we only had a week to sell our van when we arrived in Christchurch.

Our fears were made worse by the fact that, during our last week in NZ we had to replace both of the back tyres, one of which we had bought just 1000km previously! So Rob is practically a professional tyre-changer now, and we sure know how to spot a warped tyre when we see one!

But we were in luck and, unlike the people who had been at the Backpackers Car Market for 9 days trying to sell their vehicles, our van came up trumps and we sold it on the 2^nd day! This really was a stroke of luck and extremely jammy – probably about 5 buyers came through the market over the whole 1½ days before ours did, so we left feeling a bit (ok, very) smug and had another 5 days in which to enjoy Christchurch – lovely city, if a little cold and windy.

This was also the city where I had my hot air balloon ride – a 5am start but definitely worth it. There were actually 22 of us in the basket – it was the 2^nd largest balloon in the world (made in Bristol) – so very cosy but it needed to be at those temperatures. Floating through the air was so calm and smooth, and we felt completely safe with our Oxford-born pilot. Landing was fun in a field full of cow poo, followed by a glass of champagne, and then I was treated to a big breakfast in town afterwards. A fantastic birthday present!

Our last night in Chch was a free concert in the park which concluded with the Christchurch Symphony playing the 1812 Overture complete with real canons, the cathedral bells and the most fireworks I have ever seen in my life – it was fantastic, despite the fact I was ill! Rob says that the canons were even louder than the version they did at Yate Leisure Centre a few years ago…

So that was it for NZ - a really amazing, beautiful country with some fantastic scenery and very friendly people. But don't worry parents, we have no intention of living there, yet!