Day 234 Hanmer Hot Springs 26 September 2012

On our fourth day with a missing piece of luggage we went to the airport this morning and finally got things sorted out. It seemed that the Christchurch airport dropped the ball big time since our bag had landed in Auckland on Monday and they were waiting for the paperwork from Christchurch to clear customs so the luggage could be sent on to Christchurch. As you can imagine, Ana let them have a piece of her mind while Martijn watched in amusement. At 3pm the luggage finally arrived and we were set to go!

We headed out for Hanmer Hot Springs, a 2 hours drive North from Christchurch. We arrived and after a quick dinner, dip into the very relaxing and well deserved hot springs!

 

Day 233 Day Three of Lost Luggage 25 September 2012

We feel like prisoners unable to leave and escape into wild New Zealand. But there is a hairdryer and straightener at the campervan park so Ana has been having fun doing her hair. When she came out, Martijn’s reaction was “Nice, but where are all the waves in your hair?”

We have enjoyed the malls of Christchurch, although Ana more so than Martijn. And the ducks at our campsite have also provided some entertainment!

 

Day 232 Collecting Our New Home 24 September 2012

Today we collected our new campervan.  It is very similar to the one we used in Australia, albeit a bit older, but it includes a closet, duvets and a little heater!

The rest of the day we spent shopping for necessities (since the luggage we did have contained mostly tuna cans among other leftover food from Australia and not much else- no toiletries, no pajamas, no contacts, just food and random clothing items).  Then we drove around exploring the city. Christchurch, especially the centre and the cathedral, is still pretty much in ruins after the large earthquake in 2011 and many aftershocks (13,000 so far) since, which was quite a depressing sight. Many people lost their homes and the once charming city has a completely different face.

 

 

We stopped in the temporary public library which in its own way was inspiring and nice.

When we parked our home for the night and when we were getting ready for bed we felt strangely at home!

Day 231 Flight to New Zealand 23 September 2012

It was bound to happen one day and today it finally happened, and after 27 flights it was to be expected- we have a lost luggage! Of our flight from Melbourne to Christchurch only one of our two bags arrived. After spending an hour at the lost baggage desk we were told that our missing luggage would not arrive before Tuesday (in two days).

Fortunately our pre-ordered shuttle had waited for us, and brought us to a lovely backpackers acommodation.

 

For dinner we had some Thai, making us both realize how much we miss Asian food!

Day 230 Melbourne 22 September 2012

After sleeping in, we headed into the city. We jumped on the free tourist tram and then continued on our way through the centre to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  

 

 

 

More walking led us to dinner in a nice Greek restaurant, since apparently there are more Greek in Melbourne than Athens! 

As we were repacking we realized that, unfortunately, one of Martijn’s shower sandals was lost in the outback of Australia!

Day 229 The Drop-off 21 September 2012

Hard work today: we first had to drive to Melbourne in time to avoid another toll fee (we bought a 24hour pass), check in our hotel, unload our campervan in the middle of a buzzing city, fill up the gas tank and clean the campervan inside and outside before the drop-off.

Since a fellow Dutchmen told us that the carwash was 25 dollars and advised us to do it in the self service booth- Martijn gave it a try (Ana cleaned the inside)!

 

 

After we dropped off the campervan (with 5,942.7km/ 3692.6mi) we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in a very comfortable hotel. We ventured out for dinner and found a very nice Thai place!

Day 228 Penguin Parade 20 September 2012

We left Geelong to drive to Philip Island home of the Penguin Parade.

Since we arrived early at our holiday camp we enjoyed the facilities and went for a swim in the heated indoor pool. Then we drove to the Nobbles, where a colony of 40,000 little penguins is located.

We saw a significant number of those waggling past us returning from the sea to their burrows around sunset. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed, but they sure looked cute (especially in their sweaters)!

 

We were warned to look out for penguins under our campervan, unfortunately/fortunately none were hiding out.