Days 1 & 2 - Flight to Christchurch and drive via Highway 72 to Mount Hutt Ski area
 
After a sad good bye with Pauline, Barry, Rich and Kath followed by a few brandy's for the road, the two idiots saw themselves awaking at 4am after our luxury stay at the Menzies (thanks P&B!) . Bleary eyed we arrived at the airport and after an amazing sunrise followed by a two hour delay; we finally set off for Christchurch, myself VERY valiumed! Flying into New Zealand was just breath-taking as we passed over the snow capped mountains of Mount Cook and the stunning national parks that are the south island, the excitement was building that we were back on the road again to see more of the world!! A night at an old restored backpackers called Charlie B's in Christchurch saw us treating ourselves to bangers n mash / shepherds pie, (perfect food for the cold weather now upon us), plus a Tui's pint of course, then early night.
 
The two hour difference hit the systems and after turning off the alarm we turned up late to pick up our camper, but in true kiwi style, that didn't matter at all! The camper van this time was a BUS compared to our last one and very sadly we got very excited about our new home and its mod cons..... a proper tap instead of slow pump, gas central heating (unbelievable!), bed AND separate dining area, cupboards that didn't need everything taking off just to get a fork out, access from the driver area to the back so we could avoid night possum attacks!, a toilet, shower and sink (well 1m x 1m cubicle nightmare!), HOT water so no need to boil for washing up, TV (not that it worked ....), and adequate head height for those above oompaloompa stature!! Perfect and obviously the latter meant a less grumpy Adam, ha ha! After learning how the toilet is emptied and other messy affairs we set off, encountered the usual weekly shop, then back to the camper office with a gas problem (the bottle!) and FINALLY we set off again heading for Arthur's Pass then on to route 72 towards Mount Hutt and Mount Cook. Heading out of Christchurch along the rolling Canterbury Plains was so reminiscent of home with the flat farming land and autumnal colours.... until we saw just ahead looming in the distance snow capped mountains against a bright blue sky! It was just stunning and the freedom to be back in a camper van with no particular boundaries was an incredible feeling! The world again was our oyster....
 
We first stopped at Rakai Gorge, admiring Mount Hutt in the background against the river setting and bridge, not a soul was in sight or had been for quite a while....just perfect! Heading off the beaten track we went off road slightly and headed up towards Lake Coleridge, where upon we encountered our first traffic jam........no not the usual car kind but....SHEEP! Staring right at us whilst being rounded up by 2 collies and a farmer (in his car!) it was amazing to watch the dogs at work. After some swift sheep removal, the road was clear and we set off again, the highway all to ourselves with the Mt Hutt range ever present to our right. The scenery at this point reminded us so much of the Lake District again, lush green valleys, stark rugged terrain, granite contours and the rare occurrence of human habitation except livestock! Then our next traffic jam....wild horses! After a slight hiccup on my part in that I thought that the beautiful private countryside we were driving through was called an abattoir not an arboretum!! we finally reached the lake. It was just beautiful and worth the detour. Mountain upon mountain in the background, calm waters, just an amazing spot for a cuppa (and the usual pie for Adam!).... By now the sun was starting to set so we headed back down the valley, as we were driving away from the lake we had the most stunning view in our rear mirror of the sun disappearing behind snow capped mountains with miles and miles of remote road in the distance, how lucky did we feel!
 
Heading now towards Mackenzie County we decided to freedom camp for the night in a place called Pioneer Park, this consisted of the most eerie drive in the dark on a rough track to a deserted field amongst the trees and nobody there.....We had no idea what we were surrounded by as parked up on the grass, shut all the doors tight and drank a few glasses of our 'country box of cheap vino', then we mastered the art of sleeping in the tiny space above the cabin and slept well!