My last few days in New Zealand were very laid back and most of my time was spent on the bus. For some reason bus journeys keep tiring me out. It feels feeble to say how exhausting doing nothing has been!
It was time to wake up as we arrived at Lake Tekapo for some snow tubing. It was awesome and I escaped unscathed. I shot down the slope every way possible on my own and in groups of three and four. It reminded me of the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour (Australia).
We had an hour of unlimited fun. I could have stayed there all day as they had hot pools and an ice skating rink. Unfortunately we did have to leave for our hostel in Rangitata.
In the summer months, Rangitata is a popular stop for rafting. During the winter, there wasn’t much else to do than go for a walk. It was late in the afternoon and the wind had picked up. I was all walked-out so I decided to watch the videos I took snow tubing and soak up the heat from the fire.
We stayed at a tiny remote place and were the only occupants for the night. The owner was lovely and joked with us as we all checked in. They only had two double rooms. Neil and Simone took one and then two girls took the other. This annoyed me as there were two other couples on the bus. One couple asked for a double room when it was their turn to check in but were obviously told they had been taken. Maybe it’s just me but I thought that was a bit unfair.
Once everyone was checked in, the owner pointed out a few things - the big flatscreen TV, an array of DVDs, tea and coffee facilities, stuff for breakfast in the morning and an oven. In the oven was a dish filled with cake mix for us to bake later. I did not know that this place came with free chocolate cake. Nice. Very nice.
The common room was a cosy fit for all of us but everyone found their own space. It was the same situation with the kitchen. A maximum of three people could comfortably cook their meals. With 26 people here, we all had to be patient. There were no arguments and everyone got their food when they wanted. Amazing.
The evening was spent laughing at how bad The Tourist was, watching The Hangover, playing Pictionary and Scrabble (I won!) interspersed with funny stories and new introductions. Why didn’t I have this bus before?!
I went to bed safely on the first of a three tier bunk bed. Don’t believe me…?
*****
It was my final early start in New Zealand…it was my final everything in New Zealand! I really didn’t want to leave but Fiji was beckoning.
On my last bus journey I swapped details with people and said my goodbyes. I had a lovely chat with Artik (London) about Japan. He spent a week there and loved it. It was great to finally meet someone who has been and enjoyed it too!
I spent my final night in Christchurch re-organising my suitcase, writing last minute postcards and chatting with Neil and Simone. We happened to have booked a stay at the same hostel and ended up in the same room which was nice.
The next day I’ll be heading to Fiji to stay with a family in a traditional village then do a bit of island hopping before I make my way across to America. I always get a little nervous when I’m about to leave a country I’m comfortable with to a strange one I’ve never encountered. Hopefully we’ll get on as well as I have with New Zealand. It’s been fantastic. To put it in perspective, it almost toppled Japan off of the top spot.
Farewell New Zealand, I hope we meet again!
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