one more little stone

Day 236 Mount Cook 28 September 2012

In the morning we explored the lake town further and stopped by the historic church with a view that could convert any lost soul.

Then we moved on to a natural highlight of New Zealand, Mt Cook National Park. Mount Cook is the largest mountain of Australasia (3,754 m /12,316 ft), and was quite the sight. We took a 2 hours hike to Hunter Valley which had some amazing scenery.

In the late afternoon we climbed up to a lookout over the Tasman Glacier, the biggest one in the country.

Day 235 Martijn’s 36th Birthday 27 September 2012

We spent most of the Martijn’s 36^th birthday in the car or at home – depending on how you look at it.

In the late afternoon we arrived at our destination, Lake Tekapo, which turned out to be as scenic as it gets, a perfect place to celebrate!

We went for a sunset walk, found a nice restaurant. We had a very nice birthday dinner, consisting of pumpkin soup, blue cod (Martijn), stone grill (Ana) and birthday treats!

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.