Our last night staying in the tree house. After breakfast we went for a short walk around the property, past the nervous herd of deer grazing in the field and down through the olive grove where tiny olives were just budding on the trees. We were surprised to see so many rabbits of all sizes running around completely unperturbed by the fact that most New Zealanders consider them to be a terrible pest introduced by arly immigrants and want to see them eradicated. Clearly these rabbits don't read the newspapers!

We were soon on our way but, just down the road, made a quick stop at Lavendyl Lavender Farm. It is run by a lovely Dutch couple who took over 6 years ago. There is lavender as far as the eye can see and a fascinating little shop selling every lavender product imaginable.

A last drive along Kaikoura main street and we are on our way south. We hug the coastline for a while and are treated to some more spectacular scenery before turning inland up more steep and winding roads across the mountains. On the other side we stop for a snack by a historic bridge (everything in New Zealand is historic!) and then on to Cheviot where we get petrol and stop at Two Rivers Gallery and Cafe for a coffee and snack. It is becoming a tradition for us as on our visits to New Zealand we always stop here on our way through!

We are now passing through the Waipara wine growing region and seeing vineyards on either side. We pass many famous wineries including Waipara Hills and Pegasus Bay but weren't tempted to stop and taste. We nearly manages to get lost on the last leg of our journey as the instructions are quite complicated and the GPS refuses to work most of the time but at last we drew up at Otahuna Lodge, looking just as peaceful and beautiful as we remembered.

The wonderful, friendly staff were all there to greet us and we were soon back once again in the impressive Rhodes Suite where we had stayed on our first visit. We met with our hosts and other guests in the drawing room for pre-dinner drinks and canapes and enjoyed some lively conversation. We ate, just the two of us, in the Draw Turret room and had a fabulous 5 course dinner with matching New Zealand wines. This is the life and we could easily get used to it!