Goodbye yellow brick road

Sunday, 26/08/2012 - 72 A.D. 

  

Sunday, bloody Sunday!

Really don’t have much to write home about today. Essentially our time was spent getting as close to Christchurch as we could and camping up in the wild for the last time. We did a lot of driving, which was a shame, because it was the warmest day so far in NZ and the type of weather that would have given both Invercargill and Dunedin a visual boost. One highlight was when we stopped for gas and I finally worked out the mechanism that you click on the pump to leave it automatically filling the vehicle, leaving you free to do other things. It’s taken me four weeks to work it out. Like I said, it was a slow day.

We’d been hoping to use a free campsite down by Lake Ellesmere, but when we turned up we drove straight into a swarm of sandflies. We’d been warned about these way back in the first campsite we stayed at – the lady there, when on holiday in the south, had forgotten her insect repellent, so what did she use to deter the flying pests? Hairspray. Unfortunately that’s far too precious a commodity on this expedition, so we did a big volte-face and drove back in the direction from which we’d come. The piccy below probably doesn’t show many of the blighters on the windscreen, but there were countless numbers of them swirling about in the air. We did not leave our vehicle to get a closer look, though some did sneak inside through the air vents.

I know I’ve shown you countless photos of beaches that we’ve mucked about on, but here’s the final one (at Rakaia Huts)…

…this one will always stay notable in my memory as Tim finally strayed too close to the waves and got a soaking around his lower regions (his subsequent impression of Canute didn’t manage to push back the waves!)

 And that really was about it for the day. Can’t all be as exciting as the petrol pump thing and Tim getting wet, can it??? The Camping Gods smiled on us this evening and gave us a dramatic spot up on Summit Road overlooking Diamond Bay, with our ultimate destination, Christchurch, nestled behind in the distance. Oh yes, it's the Emerald City alright, and it's been a long and winding Yellow Brick Road that's brought us to it!  And we’re parked with the front end of The Chariot significantly higher than the rear…should provide some interesting dreams as all that blood rushes to our heads while we sleep!

Monday, 27/08/2012 - 73 A.D. 

Our final full day in New Zealand was blessed with fantastic early Spring weather, the clear air helping to clear our heads after we finished off our respective boxes of wine the previous evening. There was only one place on the agenda for today and that was the city of Christchurch, also known as “the most English city outside of England”. For added authenticity, they even put Hereford Street next to Worcester Street!

Any visit to Christchurch in the last two years is dominated by the aftermath of the earthquake that killed 182 people. I’d already learned there were some parts of the CBD that were off-limits, but it turned out to be pretty much the whole of the central zone east of Hagley Park.

What was once a bustling office hotspot is now all but deserted, save for the contractors engaged in rebuilding or demolishing, and the casual tourists like us. I felt a bit uncomfortable taking pictures, as if I’d stumbled uninvited into a private funeral, and I duly limited my video footage.

The photo above shows the state of the city’s cathedral and the square in front of it, both mentioned as big draws in any guidebook (supposedly where the “Christchurch wizard” casts spells and pontificates – no sign of him today! Or of the wizard of Oz - we might meet him in the next country). If the earthquake hadn’t happened then this area would be full of people (the main information kiosk, also behind the fence, is just out of shot). Now they have army personnel on hand to make sure over-curious visitors don’t stray past the barriers.

On the street in the last photo above, the traffic lights were stuck on flashing amber. Had they been like that since the earthquake struck? There was nowhere to go to find out. Even the central shopping mall had been decimated and they had set up a new temporary series of shops nearby, made out of shipping containers. The various banks were also temporary structures that could be towed away quickly if needs be. The spectacle was made all the more eerie by the fact that it was such a fine day – when seeing sights like this you expect grey skies, drizzle and a cold, biting wind. But no, it was warm and serene, nowhere more so than on the River Avon which winds through the city and advertises tranquil punts along its waters.

Despite it being the largest city on the southern island, we didn’t spend a lot of time in Christchurch's centre. We had plenty of things to sort out before tomorrow rolled around, such as trading our NZ guidebook for an Australian one and filling The Chariot’s gas canister. And maybe we’ve simply seen enough NZ cities on our travels, so one that was designed to look like a typical English town wasn’t going to hold much of an exotic draw!

Our final campsite is the grandest so far – it has a drive-thru check-in, which is something we never knew existed for these places, let alone experienced. Plus there’s a movie room, but we’ll be too busy scrubbing the floor and picking the rogue bits of food out from behind the seats to hit the flicks. And so, it is with heavy heart that I present to you, dear readers, the last ever shot of BKA559 parked up in a campsite:

I suppose, leaving aside tomorrow’s mad dash for the airport, it’s the end of our time in New Zealand and time for a few recollections and reflections. It’s been four whole weeks of fun and games on the road and, just as I felt 28 days ago, it’s now time for a change. We’ve come across (and posted pictures of) hills, streams, mountains, lakes, jungles, rivers, beaches, mud pools, cliffs, fields, coves and the ocean. Plus a few thousand shots of our camper van parked up in various locations.

Despite living in cramped conditions (which we quickly got used to), the sense of freedom was amazing. But you can go camper vanning in any country…yeah, but not always somewhere as beautiful and spacious as this one. Or anywhere so unspoilt, which is the key thing to remember when it comes to the landscapes of NZ. And the people, well, they may not have had the warm, intrusive curiosity of the Americans, but a friendlier bunch of folk you’d be hard pressed to meet.

If I ever do find Miss Right and embark on the typical human courtship rituals, I’d definitely consider bringing her here (though I wouldn’t share a motorhome in winter). Everywhere I went, I saw couples smiling, laughing, happy to let their love flourish in this most romantic of lands. And then I looked at Tim, and his beard.

However, I enjoyed the way Tim and I had to work as a team to make things happen or else we didn’t get anywhere. By the end we had it down to military precision – no more standing around watching what the other was doing, we worked in tandem like an efficient, well-oiled machine. If I was turning on the gas, he’d be plugging in the electrics. If I was getting out the coffee mugs, he’d be handling the cereal packets. If I was filling the tank with water, he’d be organising the dump. What’s the secret of living like this and not killing each other? Warm up first with seven weeks on the road in North America. And it helps if you’re related and therefore stuck with each other for life.  

So, how to sum up these last four weeks? It seems apt to return to a quote from Malcolm – he may have been conscripted to fix our computer, but he was probably also the resident New Zealander with whom we had most contact. And you may remember that he said the following:

“The good thing about New Zealand is that it’s small. The bad thing about New Zealand is that it’s small!”

And in my humble opinion, the great thing about New Zealand is…simply that it’s great. Go and visit it any time, even in winter. You'll love it.

So, you’re next, Australia…THE G’DAY GRAYBOYS WANT YOU NOW, MATE!!!