290892kms, 1.5°C and sunny, 10:47 and yay, finally we're away. It feels like ages and ages since we've been away! Stopped to get ice and to mail a letter and now we can go and park on a beach.
The house is as sorted as we're going get it until spring (still have some wardrobe doors to paint in spare rooms, but seeing as we need to be able to work outside that'll wait 'til spring (thank god, I am over re-decorating for the time being!)) and although we've still got a garage that needs sorting out, we've got a date with a beach! Had a pie from BP at Lowburn, and had a quick stop at Boundary Creek. 13:50 - at DoC Haast getting water. 14:20 - all set up and jug's on for a coffee. Bit of a "oh shit" moment as Mike was turning Maggie around as the area seems to be quite soft and he cut in really quick, but quick reactions means we didn't get stuck! Our normal parking area is hard as, so no worries there! 
Oh, we've got the thermometer from home with us now - we bought a newer, more upmarket model for home. So we can now tell the temperature in and out again, but also see what the barometer is doing. Anyway, lovely afternoon - very mild (around 14°C), no wind and sunny. Weird sun though - suspect it might be because we've still got an ash cloud down here from the Chilean volcanic eruption a week ago. Spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach enjoying the fresh air and nice temperature - and the fact that the black bitey bastards are not nearly as thick as normal. Went for a wee stroll up the beach and just chilled for the rest. Had Mike's meatballs and spaghetti for tea, watched TV and went to bed around 22:30.17 June 2011
Up at 8:20, 4.8°C and overcast. Had a very lazy morning, which we both enjoyed. Had bacon, eggs and mushrooms on toast for brunch, didn't even have showers until 11:30! Now 12:10 and still only 8.8°C - been outside a couple of times and it's very, very cold because there's a breeze blowing making it feel much colder.
Spent the rest of the afternoon reading and x-stitching, 'til 15:00 when we decided we should see if we could find some dry firewood. Everything's very wet. Temperature got to just over 10°C but then started to drop and only 8°C when we were collecting wood. Brrr!
Mike got tea ready once we got back inside the warmth - have had gas heating going pretty much all day and evening since we got here. We're having tea cooked in the fire tonight - baked spuds and chicken wrapped in bacon, mushies and garlic butter - YUM! Played monopoly - which Mike won, again. Remind me never to go into property - I loose just about everytime! Watched the rest of the news (the game didn't finished 'til about 20 past!) and tea at about 21:40 and then hit the pit not long after.
18 June 2011
Up at 08:00 - the rain woke us up. It did rain a couple of times during the night, but it seems to have set in. Warm though: 10°C and although we're fine where we are it must be really blowing out at sea because the sea is really stormy! Normally, of course, we don't get to see it like this - we only come here when the weather's good, so it's quite spectacular. Oh, and when I was turning on the radio, noticed a car parked in the middle of the road - between us and the road. Random. Had breakfast (b&e&m) and as we were doing the dishes, the guys from the car came past, collected rocks and went back. Pretty obvious they were stuck. HOLY CRAP - they're between us and the road, they are in an ordinary car and they are STUCK. Shit! Mike went and helped them get free, and it's now 10:10, and we've got our running shoes on to get through the "man&car-made" sandpit - according to Mike, there's only one way through and that's SPEED!
And it worked - safely through the other side and on tarmac - phew!! Anyway, we're on our way home as Mike starts work tomorrow, and anyway, it's raining. Rained all the way to Hawea, and got down to 1°C over the pass. Had lunch in Wanaka at Relishes Cafe - wonderful and we'll go back there again! Got colder as we headed into Central and it was obvious the fog had only just lifted. Home at 14:05, 3°C 291338kms!
