All good things must come to an end. It's not depressing, it's a Buddhist tenant that cements gratefulness and appreciation for the present into life. We leave Queenstown and our beloved Creeksyde camp and head northeast through the center of New Zealand. It is clear the clouds leave their full load in the mountains to the west, as it is pretty much brown and desert-like in the middle. Rocks are piled up alongside the road in formations reminiscent of the Blair Witch project. I google it and find evidence that others were disturbed or curious enough to turn to the net as well but any finding about meaning is inconclusive. We stop for a break with Mount Cook in full view and convert to swimming costumes for a swim in Lake Tekapo. The girls are giggly over happening upon others who made a more speedy conversion into the lake.

The absence of wildlife and cloudy blue water at times in the south has been almost eerie. There are no birds singing or polywogs hanging out near the shore. It is the quietness often created by Hollywood signaling that something big and supernatural is in the vicinity and about to spring up. I swim for a while but find myself waiting for Nessy or something like it to appear from the cloudy blue.

We continue on, hard chargers, and end up near Christchurch at Akaroa poised to have one more day of relaxing when we wake. It will be our last day before we have to divest of the fake wood mobile we have come to call home.