Farewell New Zealand

I have read that there are 40 million sheep in NZ and I think we have seen at least 20 million of them. A few hundred were being herded down the road by a chap in a pickup and two dogs, we just had to sit and wait until the whole lot had gone past. There must be about 20 million cows too and I reckon we have seen about a million of them. They all look well fed and rounded not like the bony cows we have at home. I am always going to buy Anchor Butter from now on because I am sure the milk comes from contented cows .... now where have I heard that before?

This will be the last blog from NZ. I am sat in our final campsite typing this blog and the situation could not be better. If I look to my right there is a mountain falling down to the sea, further round just over my left shoulder is the town of Akaroa, which is delightful, the town runs along the foreshore and there are quaint little houses and shops, mostly selling souvenirs or local arts and crafts. Rising up behind the foreshore is the hillside which is peppered with the dearest little houses all snuggled in amongst trees, bushes and plants, it reminds me a little of some of the seaside villages in Cornwall but on a larger and more dramatic scale.At my feet are the campsite resident ducks and sparrows. We made the mistake of feeding them some bread so it is going to be impossible to get rid of them until some other camper decides they want to have them as their friends.

We've had an interesting few days, the weather has been changeable, today being the best but still with a sharp wind. Travelling to here we have been through some of the most dramatic scenery, made so by a heavy rain fall the other night which fell as snow on the mountains - so they are now capped with glowing white snow in the sunshine. I think this will be one of my abiding memories of NZ.

John had a quick motor fix on the journey, we stopped in a place called Geraldine where they have a motor and tractor museum. For such a small place they had an amazing number of exhibits. Someone must have put in a deal of money into the project as there were numerous outbuildings all stuffed full of tractors, farming equipment of all kinds, some of it very old. I would imagine it would be of interest to film makers and enthusiasts of farming equipment. In amongst the cars was a Daimler Dart, the sight of which brought a wistful look in John's eye.

We stayed at a campsite where another couple had been on a bit of an epic journey too. It was interesting hearing about their route and what they had been up to. It gave us a couple of ideas for perhaps another journey. However, we won't be like another chap who was busily loading up his bike which he had cycled from England. He had been away 18 months, this did not give me ideas for another epic journey!

It is strange how people say things which strike a chord. It was said by one of our new friends that NZ was too organised and it did not present enough challenge to the visitor. I think that part of the excitement of the journey of ours has been the challenges presented at times, in Asia especially. There is something exciting about living, eating, finding your way around and just being in a place where you have to explore a bit.

In NZ one feels this is all done for you. On the one hand that's great and if I was going to live permanently anywhere it would be here but as a visitor it is, perhaps, a bit too easy and there is little left to your own resources. I expect that is the attraction for some but not for us seasoned adventurers ...

There is no doubt that NZ has the most stunning dramatic scenery of anywhere I have been, it also has the friendliest people. Initially, it takes you aback a bit when you go to the checkout in the supermarket and the woman asks if you are having a good day and what have you been doing. After a while it becomes what you expect and it is really nice as it feels as if the person is interested in you as an individual. NZ is hyper organised and feels quite English, it is a place where you can immediately feel at home and we certainly did.

Tomorrow we are off to The Cook Islands for a holiday before we come home. I don't know what the internet availability is going to be there so there may be a delay before the final chapter or chapters of the 'GreatAdventure' reach you.

Just a quick post script. Felt an aftershock last night, the van moved while we were in bed, not the earth!!! No photos today as posting this at the airport.