Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool

We had initially planned just one night at the grandly named  Highfield View Lodge Motel in Oamaru, but  less than 15 minutes after we walked into our modern, clean, warm, spacious room with king sized bed,  kitchenette, huge spa bath & giant tv we decided to book a second night. Can’t think what made us do that! After a nap, a luxurious bath & some mind numbing tv  we walked into town to eat, then hurried back to our respite care home, shut the rain out & turned the heating up. We were woken by the cleaner the following morning , but we declined her services as we continued to stage our own bed-in. However by 2pm we both knew we had to get some fresh air so reluctantly we ventured out to explore Oamaru. Mindful that it was Good Friday, Our  first stop was the local Catholic Church, then into town, where we discovered a cluster of streets with Victorian buildings that have been preserved, not gentrified, that seem to have  been taken over  by local artists & bohemians, the centre piece of which was the Steampunk Gallery.  The gallery is home to mechanical art pieces made out of old Victorian steam engines & components. Not what we had expected at all in this town. It was intriguing to discover & we enjoyed exploring it all. 

The following morning, reluctantly, we checked out of the respite accommodation & despite the  promise of good weather, for the first hour of our journey we were battling rain storms but then suddenly they were gone & we felt our energy levels return. We diverted ourselves off the highway to a small town called Geraldine – Mr L had been reading the guidebook & thought it worth a visit. We were excited to see a craft market as we pulled in but even more excited to see the blue skies that had begun to appear. We walked around & sampled some cheese before stopping for tea & cake – planning time! We decided to head north  to  chase the sunshine to a town called Ashburton, which turned out to be a v good decision. As we arrived the sky was blue & the sun was hot,  we spent the afternoon with our feet up reading. 
The next day we drove to Christchurch; our last stop, our last few days in the van, our last few days in NZ. We found a campsite on the edge of town to base ourselves & spent the time exploring the city's museums, parks, art galleries & tourist spots. There is still a huge amount to do to rebuild the town following the earthquakes in 2010 & 2011 but there is still plenty to see & enjoy & lots of art pieces dotted around town to keep it interesting. In between exploring we attempted to plan our itinerary for our next stop, Japan & we are so looking forward to it.
We weren't sad to say goodbye to the spaceship- just relieved they didn't spot the mark where I reversed it into another car whilst parking (it was only a bump!)

New Zealand, particularly the South Island is stunning ( I may have mentioned this in previous blogs)  however we spent just a little too long here, particularly as we were here as  autumn ended & the rain set in. It's a country of great scenery & outdoor pursuits & needs good weather to make the best of it. So tomorrow we fly to our fourteenth & final country where we jump from autumn to spring. Our flight home has been booked & the end of our travels is rushing towards us at speed. But for now our focus is on Japan & all it has to offer.