Saturday 20/8

Woke at 10:20.  No-one emerged until 11:20.  In the meantime I made the most of the WiFi and Matt's landlord's book collection.

Took a last look at his place.  Gave him Emily's Christmas present of some gloves you can wear and still use touchscreen phones.

Matt and Natalie recommended Mount Victoria as a great first destination in Wellington, as you could see the layout of the city really clearly.  Yup it was cool....

Matt and Natalie had been kind enough to take us to the airport first to drop off our bags, so we could look at Wellington unencumbered.  It seems that the rule of New Zealand airports is that the first employee you find to ask a question will be so vacant as to not even understand the question, or perhaps that there is a question at all. 

We were dropped off in town where we said goodbye to them.  We walked around a lot, by the water and Cuba Street (apparently the cool bit).  There were the sort of clothes shops that I like, which pretty much never happens - the world has moved on from from the late 90s/early 2000s.  I treated Jim to some good and really cheap sushi.

[Lots more stuff here]

We found Dad at a museum.  We walked back to the camper, which was a little bit weird - we had only seen it the day before but it felt like an old home.  He and Lesley dropped us off at the airport and we said goodbyes again - this time for definite however.  It was sad watching Dad and Jim say goodbye - for I don't know how long.  In the airport we chatted with a girl at the snack bar who lived in a camper with her sister for $25 per week.  On a beach.  With penguins.

The flight to Christchurch was quick.  Only 'vertical sleeping' was allowed and only in the international departures area as everywhere else was shut overnight.  There was an 'allocated rest area' with signs almost pleading with you not to overnight in the hotel, but go on then if you really have to.

The 11 hour wait until our flight was an intimidating prospect.  I went walking for an hour or so, looking around the airport, trying to find ANYTHING.  There was nothing much, except the United States Antarctic Mission.  It's at moments like this that you realise just where you are on the planet.  About twenty of us curled up in this cordoned off corner - occasionally hit by gusts of wind when a cleaner opened a door.  It was surreal.