The final episode Part six -   From Queenstown - North to Christchurch 
via Lake Tekapo and then back to Britain

Soon we went past a kiwi oddity – a fence at the side of the road which for about ½  a mile or so was festooned with bras! Nobody seemed to be able to tell us exactly why, just that there had been a similar setup with shoes and boots somewhere else in NZ  (Burkes Pass?) which had caused various crumps as people braked to be amazed at them… so the powers that be had stopped that. Maybe the bra fence was just an act of mischievous defiance?

Or was it a deeply significant public statement about throwing off the shackles of female subservience to unrealistic self image? Was it perhaps a cry for freedom from unnatural constraints and artifices? Was it a display of trophies demonstrating local interests and activities?

In any case, it provided endless conversational possibilities as we drove on into the dry upland prairies of the Mackenzie area where the lupins were a riot of colour and scent and the weather started to clear again.

The homestay, welcoming and comfortable, sits in several acres of grounds with trees with a lovely trout stream as well as various chalets, cabins and campsite facilities.

In the evening it soon got chilly, so a total of seven of us gathered round the dinner table indoors and feasted on turkey with all the trimmings, including crackers, hats and riddles…..On Boxing Day our host  took us to see another stunning lake  - Lake Alexandrina not far away, and as the cloud cleared from the great peaks to the West,  Mount Cook (Aoraki to the Maoris) emerged with the other snow covered heights against a blue sky to form a picture postcard panorama. Another Wow factor!

On the 27^th of December it was time to move on to Christchurch and our last stay – with another of Marcus’ cousins and his wife. It turned out to be about the warmest day of the whole stay – the only day when wearing shorts seemed sensible when out and about. When we got there we were immediately part of the family, for the fourth cousin and her husband had just arrived so all 6 of us milled about greeting each other like….well, like long lost cousins! We sampled home grown soft fruit like karakaberries, tayberries and boysenberries. We’d never heard of them but boy were they delicious.

Next day we toured around Christchurch seeing the sights. We visited the seaside area – New Brighton. The wind whipped along the front, with scudding grey clouds…just like Old Brighton in fact. We were shown the old family haunts and the house which Marcus’ great uncle and aunt had had built soon after their arrival in NZ. It is unusual in that it is 2 storey.

That evening children and grandchildren came round for a great family get together and barbeque. Marvellous. Next day was the 29^th and it was time to go to nearby Christchurch airport to catch the plane to Auckland and thence to Heathrow. By the time we got back to England we had been travelling for over 30 hours…. Next  day was the 31^st so of course we had to see the New Year in with family this side of the world…then Zzzzzzz!

Marcus  Webb