Up early to travel to Christchurch, our last full day in New Zealand, and we've had a blast! A warm but cloudy day, we stopped off to visit Little River craft shop and admire some of the handiwork on sale there. Before we knew it we were in Christchurch and at the Antarctic Centre which was to keep us amused for the next few hours and is well worth a visit. We especially liked the 'snowstorm' room where we donned thick jackets and stood around in a snowbound room...

After the beautiful, warm still evening the night brought rain and wind and the day dawned cool with low grey cloud. We woke early to get to the Blackcat Cruises office as it opened - two cruise liners were due in and we didn't want to get trumped for seats, but even as we looked out on hill/mountain tops obscured by cloud and the grey sea looked distinctly uninviting but felt sure that the dolphin swim would go ahead, that we 'couldn't let this adventure pass...

The bright start to the day that we'd hoped for eluded us and so we decided not to hang around as there was a long drive ahead plus Lake Pukaki had shown us glacial lake splendour instead of Tekapo so it was pack the van and go. We are proud to say that our record of never quite locking everything away or strapping it down remains intact. Can we manage to get through the next few days still missing something out on our pre-departure check?! We'll see! We stopp...

We woke to a warm day with high cloud after a sound night sleep in Glentanner Holiday Centre, a bit of wilderness not quite in the wilderness if you know what we mean. We'd hoped for a great clear night for a bit of star gazing, Dave has an app on his phone to show us the stars in the Southern Hemisphere but not tonight - it was a nearly full moon and far too bright. Thankfully no wolves howling in the night, we still haven't got used to the fact that there are...

After the rain - what a glorious day! The washing on the line however was wetter than when we took it out of the washing machine and so rigged up a line inside the van and pegged it up to dry along the way lol (and it did). After checking out of the camp site and doing the dump stuff - the less glamorous side of motor homing! - we stopped to get a coffee and watched a 'Milford Explorer' coach pull up outside the Pop-In Cafe and disgorge a load of young people ...