Uck! We might has well have been in Plymouth today. It rained all day. Proper wet rain, uck!

Having packed up we left the car at the apartment and pottered into town for brunch. This is a most civilised activity, which I have come to love during this holiday! We are at Pier 19 and pottered through town in the rain. After filling up the car I dropped Gary off at the airport, had a coffee, said a very reluctant goodbye and headed off on my own into the rain. :(

The following 8 days remained virtually unplanned. I has decided in the last few days that I'd like to visit Dunedin and knew that my plane flies out of Christchurch but that was about the sum of it.

I drove and drove through the rain. Through the sodden Gibbston valley full of its vines and award winning Pinot noirs. Past Roaring Meg, who didn't appear to be too angry. Through a region that reminded me of the south if France, another of Italy and one which was like Dartmoor on Steroids. I kept wandering what incredible landscapes were hiding behind the rain clouds.

I eventually stopped at an isite (hurrah for isites!) in Alexandra. My mind was changed by the help of a lovely lady who convinced me to take the more scenic route to Dunedin. After finishing my creme brûlée fudge and swigging some flat tonic water I head off, still not sure where I would stay the night. I knew the isite in Ranfurly was the next available and planned to seek advice there. The rain had washed away my appetite for camping and I chose to stay in the last available motel unit at the holiday park. Cheap, warm, dry, that's all I wanted. I received a very warm welcome from a lovely lady who qualified as a dentist from Bristol University in 1972 and knew of Bernie Moxham. There is a retired dentist from Newcastle who lives on the corner also!

After a natter I settled into my room, basked in a short burst of sunshine, laid out my map and planned my last week here in NZ.