Half way between Arthur's pass and Christchurch lies Methven, a bustling and vibrant ski town in the winter - which was pretty hard to believe as everything barring the supermarket was closed when we arrived. It was a beautiful sunny day and coupled with this, the town's location onthe Otago plains made the proliferation of ski hire shops and lodges seem like some kind of elaborate joke - just like the cowboy town at the end of Blazing Saddles - dummy frontages propped up by spindly timbers.
The tranquility was fine by us as we needed a rest after Mount Avalanche and our accommodation- the Skiwi Lodge, proved to be perfect for a relaxing couple of days. Owned by Shane and Kerri, a warm and friendly couple, the lodge was more like a house with a great living room and they didn't seem to mind when we virtually took root there.
An older Canadian guy called Mike was also a guest and he kept us entertained with interesting stories of his travels, particularly his participation in the annual harvesting of the Alaskan Herring stocks. A finely choreographed enterprise which is done and dusted in a matter of hours and can earn the most successful boat crews hundreds of thousands of dollars.
After chilling in Methven, we drove on to our final destination in New Zealand, Christchurch. When we set off, the sky was blue without a trace of clouds but as soon as we joined the highway to Christchurch, there was an ominous band of severe looking storm clouds up ahaed. Stretching from the heavens almost to the horizon, there was only a sliver of blue denoting clear skies in the far distance. The deluge was sudden and overwhelming. The arc of the wipers leaving no discernable impression on the sheets of rain splattering the windscreen.
Thankfully, we'd driven through the worst by the time we reached the suburbs but, when we reached the Excelsior Backpackers, we were marooned inside the car, the pair of us sat forlornly gazing out of the windows knowing a loverly dry room was only yards away.
The rain soon cleared and we found ourselves having to re-adjust to life in a large hostel - which wasn't a problem until we tried to get to sleep at night. Our room looked out onto a decked area which was the haunt of the smokers. Unfortunately, the desk was awash with alcohol of an evening which raised the volume considerably. As time wore on, the voices of the most egocentric, pickled pubescents rose above the hubub with ever louder pronouncements of 'Me' speak. If the letter 'I' was suddenly removed from the alphabet, they would have been rendered mute - and the people they were talking at would assume they'd been struck deaf into the bargain. But hey, live and let live, right? (in other words, we didn't get a good response when we shouted out of th window), we swapped our room for one at the other side of the building, facing the comparitive tranquility of the main street... and discovered that the council had planned to turn the road to rubble with jackhammers that very night!
We spent a lot of time wandering the city centre, but did take a trip out to the coast where we visited Taylor's Mistake and strolled along the sands in Sumner. This was to be the last excursion in our rental car 'Jolly Boin' as we returned him to the rental firm the next day. After 5500km in around two months, we were incredibly sad to see him go - and not just because we'd have to cart our bags around everywhere again!
The next morning, we picked up our photos and returned to the hostel to collect our gear. Our time in New Zealand was coming to an end but I think we were both surprised just how much we'd enjoyed our stay. From Tongariro to Te Anau, Auckland to Arthur's Pass, we'd have many happy memories to take with us of the places we'd seen and the people we'd met. There was no time to reminisce though as we were soon to cross The Ditch (Tasman Sea) which separated us from our next adventure... Australia!
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