It had been a long day yesterday. We had to try and rebook the camper as my credit card had been refused. Unfortunately the internet didn't work very well at the camp site in Omarama which only served to push my stress levels higher after a long day driving. We were glad we would be finishing our manic driving trip around New Zealand tomorrow. We packed our bags, loaded the van and set off to Christchurch at around 10am. The day was crisp and warm. Ju started the first leg of the drive whilst I lapped up the scenery rolling past the vehicle window. We stopped for a spot of lunch taking a short rest in the now blazing sun before the final push to Christchurch.

We dropped the van off at Wicked campers. We decided to walk through town to the YMCA hostel where we had booked a room via Skype the previous day. The city was still heavily damaged after the earthquake in February. As we walked through the town we observed streets that were closed off. There was an eery feel to the city. There were large areas where buildings once stood. The ground now cleared with a few cars parked on the remains of crushed stone. We saw pavements, roads and walls with uncharacteristic cracks or bumps in them - probably caused by the biggest destructive force during the earthquake... liquefaction. The majority of the city centre had been closed off and we were told by a local that it would be another 5 to 10 years before it would be back to normal. We felt sad as we sat and rested, with large ruck sacks at our feet we starred at the sights before us. The gravity of what we saw was probably more meaningful as the city had many similarities to that of any city centre back home. As we walked around the centre we could see how daily life had just stopped instantly. Economic times are hard and I felt for all the businesses and of course life that was lost here on that fateful day.

Later that evening we visited the city gardens in the last bit of sun before dusk to take in the beauty of the flowers and trees. Our celebrate the end of our trip in New Zealand we rewarded ourselves with a few drinks and some tasty food in the local pub. It was good to see local people socialising and having fun. I am sure this city will bounce back in time and I wished the people of Christchurch good luck in future. Unfortunately we had to cut our celebrations short as we had to be up at 3am... another short nights sleep, Australia here we come!