....Finally...let's go...

For dinner with my hosts and Mark yesterday, we had a delicious fillet steak from the beast (a bull who absolutely did not want to go to the slaughterhouse and was therefore slaughtered on Mark's farm) with vegetables from the garden, a more than fitting end to the waiting time. After breakfast and with a few more tips, I pack the last things into the bus and say goodbye to Heather and Duncan. I was truly well catered for and cared for during the unplanned waiting time, thank you again from here.

I have just under 3 weeks left for the South Island, finally it's time to go....In Rollington, I'll stock up on a few basics and fill up the tank, then I'll take SH 73 towards Arthur's Pass and on to the West Coast. The landscape becomes increasingly barren, and eventually I reach a kind of plateau until I reach the pass at an altitude of about 900 meters. At the following viewpoint, I meet a Kea for the first time, a really cheeky bird that besieges the camper. The route takes me downhill along Lake Brunner to Greymouth, where I encounter the Tranz Alpine on its way back to Christchurch. 2 fat diesel locomotives for 8 passenger cars, it will probably be quite steep along the way...Finally at the sea, the Tasman Sea, I coincidentally pass by the starting point of the Coast to Coast race. Every year in February, participants start here between the two pillars for a kind of triathlon (running, cycling, paddling) across the country to Christchurch. While I was easily traveling for 3 hours by car, the fastest athletes here reach the finish line after 11 hours. Well, Uli, are you joining next year?? :-)

The journey ends in Ross today, after 300 km I find a small campsite right by the sea. You can't get any better than this, I relax and enjoy the salad and another cup of Sauvignon Blanc just 40 meters away from the breaking waves, unfortunately the sunset is blocked by clouds. Tomorrow I will continue driving south, along the Southern Alps and the Franz Josef Glacier towards Wanaka...