Days 28 to 30 - Homeward Bound

We bid the chickens farewell and headed out of Franz Josef up the West Coast towards Hokitika. Our first stop was to track down the Gorge, some 20 miles inland and an hour’s detour. Worth it however, for a final glimpse of that alluring glacial blue. Pressed for time, we couldn’t linger but stayed long enough snap a few photos and to witness some Dutch/German boys taking their chances by leaping off the rocks into the water below.

Hokitika Gorge

Drinking up those views

Hi-de-hi!



With nature this stunning, who needs Photoshop!

Crazy Germans!

 

Returning to Hokitika we stopped by a deli for some hot chocolates and took these together with our hastily packed picnic to the beachfront round the corner. The wild West Coast is nothing like the gentle waters and sheltered sands we’d encountered on Waiheke and in the Coromandel; exposed to the expanse of the Tasman Sea, the winds are punishing and we were somewhat buffeted!

Chow time!

Just look at that surf rolling in...



A bracing picnic lunch!

When we were once more fuelled, we returned to town to have a mooch around some of the art and craft shops that Hokitika is known for. Jade is the speciality in these parts and we duly purchased a necklace for Sarah as a memento of our trip in one of the boutiques. The sales assistant who helped us actually knew sign language and had just returned from a weekend away in Auckland with her deaf friends - we had an interesting conversation about the differences in sign language between the UK and NZ.

Hokitika town centre

 

Before long, conscious that we still had most of the (long) drive ahead to Christchurch, we were back on the road. Our route took us down some more of those twisty roads we were just about becoming accustomed to, and on through Arthurs Pass. On a tip off from Cesar we stopped near Otira Viaduct to meet some more NZ natives – this time, the alpine parrot, the Kea. Bizarrely, these comical creatures have developed quite a taste for the rubber trims on cars and seek out places where tourists pull in for pit stops and then attack their cars! Sure enough, when we pulled up we were ambushed by some waiting Kea and soon had a fair few making their acquaintance with the car, whilst we nervously watched on.

 

NZ road engineering at it's finest

Otira Viaduct snaking its way through the landscape

Hi there mate!

Mmm, tasty rubber!

 

Further down Arthur’s Pass we came across a one lane bridge where a very wide lorry was slowly inching its way across. There were a couple of cars backed up waiting on both sides, and as we waited we were approached by a highways person who warned us there might be a delay and asked us and the other people waiting to kindly move onto grass to afford the approaching vehicle some room. They even had a box of sweets to placate us with, which we found refreshingly civilised and thoughtful. If only traffic jams were like this in the UK!

'Waiting' area

The mammoth lorry inching across

Sure beats the view from the M25/M1/M6

 

It was getting on for early evening by the time we emerged from the pass and approached the Canterbury plains once more. At our hotel for the night, we were delighted to see a Christmas tree in the reception foyer – believe it or not, this was practically the first sign of Christmas we’d seen for the whole month, in stark contrast to the UK where it seems that the festive season starts in September nowadays! Checking in at the Copthorne Commodore was a bit different to our usual process, as this time we needed to bring the entire contents of the boot in to sort through and we’d obviously been spoilt by all the places we’d stayed at before where you could park right outside as it felt the car was miles away, down a maze of corridors and across the car park. Once we’d safely got the last of the bags to our room we ventured down to the hotel restaurant for dinner, too cream crackered to think about heading back out into Christchurch to find somewhere new. The fare on offer however was surprisingly good and once sated we returned upstairs to begin the difficult task of condensing all our belongings back into our luggage for the journey home.

The next morning we drove back to the rental depot, waved a sad goodbye to the Sunny and caught the shuttle to the airport. This wasn’t straightforward as it sounds, seeing as we’d forgotten that we’d said we would return the car with a full tank - so despite having booked the Copthorne due to its proximity to the airport, we ended up miles away, negotiating a busy Christchurch in search of a petrol station. Fortunately we found one at last and made it to the depot where our rental company took pity on us and speedily dealt with the formalities so that we would make our flight.

Goodbye faithful friend!

 

Standing in line for check in at Christchurch airport felt a little surreal – were we really going home already? We were both looking forward to catching up with friends and family, but somewhat subdued to be leaving this wonderful country, so it was with a mixed bag of emotions that we boarded the plane and waved goodbye to Aotearoa (Maori for New Zealand - roughly translated it means 'land of the long white cloud') – for the time being, at least.

We had a brief stopover in Singapore again on the way back, but this time, with just 5 hours to spare, we didn’t bother leaving the airport. And we didn’t need to! – Singapore airport is huge, with many shops, eateries, a cinema and even a helter skelter slide amongst its attractions to amuse those in transit. We plumped for a visit to the Butterfly Garden followed by a refreshing dip in the open air rooftop swimming pool. It was a balmy night and the pool was a little oasis of relaxation to sooth the nerves of jet-lagged passengers – highly recommended!

  

In the bar at the rooftop swimming pool, post dip!



Enjoying a refreshing drink - jetlag, what jetlag?

 

Another 13 hour flight and 4 films later, we were back on home turf at Heathrow. Now, I love the UK and when the sun shines there’s few better places on Earth, but when you are on a coach heading back to Oxford along the M25 during the morning rush hour on drizzly November morning, it’s hard not to make unfavourable comparisons between the UK and NZ! It was good to see our house once more though – and especially our bed! There’s nothing like home comforts. I went straight to sleep and was out like a light until that evening. Somehow, Paul managed to get up several times in the interim, answer the phone etc. all without disturbing me!

So there you have it – the final conclusion to our adventures around New Zealand. I was ruminating this morning on the reason why my photos of New Zealand are not as awesome as I’d hoped they would be (aside from the fact I am a rubbish photographer!) – and I came to the conclusion that it’s impossible for a mere camera to capture the beauty of the place. You have to live it to believe it. So, if you get the chance, do go - it’s the kind of place that speaks to your soul and makes you want to rip up the return tickets and let the Pacific swallow them up (except that would not be very environmentally friendly of course). Trust me, I know from experience.

Needless to say - we will return, one day.

 

Coming up (if I ever get round to it!) - tips, hints and just what makes NZ such a refreshing place to visit.