The Wellingtonian version of a c*** crowing was an enthusiastic team of street sweepers and the wind smashing the blinds against the window at 5am. Getting the vibes that I should probably take my garlic laden breath elsewhere I went for a jog along the harbour front and up to the botanic gardens where the floral scents were even more powerful in the dim morning light. Sweating profusely I collapsed back into the sparse room just as Bob's alarm was going off.
The enema was soon loaded up and we were cruising through an awakening Wellington towards the ferry terminal. On arrival I was informed in no uncertain terms that our vehicle was not the 'campervan' which I had booked it in as. I assured the lady that we were well aware of the vehicles limitations as a residential abode and accepted the $35 credit for our return journey.
The dragon in charge of loading the cars, seemingly exasperated by my inability to read her mind finally granted us entry to the ferry which smelled very strongly of sheep and made our way straight to the galley.
After a very good attempt at an 'Full English' breakfast we were underway. Jono had been in touch to say that he had missed his bus and was hitch-hiking to Kaikoura, so the race was on! The 'free wifi' onboard was painfully slow so I resorted to watching kids movies in-between taking in the spectacular scenery as we approached South Island.
We disembarked and headed south through the steep valleys which were initially covered in lush vegetation but soon gave way to arid plains littered with dusty animals looking for any sort of sustenance.
Soon we reached the coast again and the large seal population provided much entertainment as they sunbathed, lolloped and played on the foreshore.
We arrived in Kaikoura to find a very happy Jono reserving a parking space for us. He had gone all out on his back packer image and I was very impressed at his hitchhiking prowess, the blue baseball cap was an excellent addition, he had obviously had the same epiphany regarding headwear as myself. It was slightly embarrassing however that even on the other side of the world we were wearing exactly the same pair of shorts...doh!
We had a marvellous catchup as we circumnavigated the peninsula and Jono filled us in on his travels whilst dodging angry seagulls and sleeping seals. We decided that cooking was overrated and took our excellent fish and chip supper to the end of the peninsula where we discussed tomorrow's plans and noticed one of the seagulls shared several of Mr Pugh's mannerisms, so we called him Ant.
The campsite was run with military efficiency which didn't make sneaking Jono in very easy. Impressed with how versatile the enema was he snuggled down between the bags before unveiling himself once inside to set up camp under the cover of darkness.
Sadly the air bed had deflated again so Jono and I stuck all of the repair patches on the offending rent which had doubled in size. In my heart of hearts I knew that this was futile but it provided Jono with some entertainment. We retired to the children's games room for cards and a swift return to our childhood on the namco arcade shoot-em-up before being kicked out and having to play cards in the back of the enema.
Sleep was nervous and I had the air bed pump on standby...