New Zealand Part 5: Farewell

In Christchurch, Jimbo was repaired for brakes and shock absorbers. The next morning, we went to an inspection center and failed the WoF test again. But this time, different problems were the deciding factor. We were both quite annoyed and wondered what to do next. The 'new' problems would have cost us a lot of money: repairing rust spots (dismantling, cutting out, welding in new parts, sealing, etc.). Therefore, we decided to drive the 160 km back to Timaru to have the 'old' problems checked at the first workshop to make sure they had been fixed. This plan worked. Now we have advertised Jimbo for sale on all channels: Facebook, Backpackerboard, flyers in hostels and at the university, cardboard sign in the car). On the first day, we asked for $8000 because it was said to be high season and campervans are more expensive. No inquiries. Meanwhile, we were back in Christchurch and daily lowered the price as we were still waiting for inquiries.

We passed the time and went to the International Antarctic Center. There you can learn a lot about the cold continent at the South Pole. There are exhibitions about the expeditions that explain the conquest of the South Pole by explorers like Amundsen and Scott. In addition, there is a cold chamber where a storm in Antarctica is simulated (at only -8 °C), you can go on off-road tours in the Hägglund tracked vehicle, and observe little penguins. The museum also advertises a husky petting station. However, we saw that the poor dogs did not have any desire for it. Tied on a short leash, the huskies were lying in a pavilion and did not look happy at all. The penguins, on the other hand, seem to have a pretty good life there, as they would not have survived in the wild. All the penguins are there because they have been injured and found as a result of accidents or attacks. And thanks for all the fish!

The inquiries were not coming. And we didn't feel like hanging out in the city anymore. We went to the swimming pool and sauna twice, went to the beach (terrible, isn't it?), and looked up in the air. Our price decreased as we really wanted to move on. In Auckland, we bought Jimbo at a car fair, an automobile fair where everyone can offer their car for sale. The car fair is very popular among backpackers like us because you can look at several cars on-site. There is also a car fair in Christchurch. At least according to their website. We went there and found only 3-4 other vans on a wide pedestrian path. We joined them and also managed to attract a few interested buyers for our car that day. However, they all backed out the next day. Meanwhile, we really had no desire for the city and New Zealand anymore. We updated our posts on Facebook daily so that our car wouldn't get lost in the flood of offers and also listed the car on Trademe. That's the New Zealand version of eBay Classifieds, but it's not free.

After 2-3 price reductions, we suddenly had 4 inquiries in one day. Oops?! We made appointments and met the interested buyers. And when the third buyer got into the test drive, the second buyer decided. Hm... don't say anything for now. Then, buyer 3 also decided to buy the car but offered less than buyer 2. We told him that. He thought about it, and after some back and forth, he was willing to pay significantly more than buyer 2. Handshake, down payment, appointment for tomorrow, and the end of our long wait in Christchurch was imminent! The buyer is a New Zealander and wants to restore Jimbo. We think that's good because the rust would have consumed him soon with the backpackers. In the evening, we received an SMS from him. He wrote that he had taken over the ownership of our car online. You can just do that here. Choose a license plate, type it in the internet, and voila! The car is yours. Well, more or less.

In the evening, we booked flights to our next destinations. Finally, planning something again! The next morning, we packed our backpacks for the first time in two months, drove the car to the meeting point, and handed Jimbo over to the buyer. The flight is tomorrow. Goodbye New Zealand, except for the last 1.5 weeks, it was really beautiful here. Now we hope to soak up some sun again. We booked a cheap flight to Bali! In early December, we will meet Cerina's best friend Wölkchen...where? To be continued :-D