Christchurch and beyond

Stuck in and around Christchurch trying to solve the canopy problem. Ordered a c rail but 17-14 day delivery (this is not the uk).
Table tennis brilliant here could play Tues to Fri if we wanted to.
Spent a couple of nights at a beautiful little campground on the way to Arthur’s pass. (Kuwaiti Pass domain,Springfield). Chance to get showers and do the washing. Old cricket pavilion turned into a very comfortable lounge with kitchen and dining table and loads of toys for kids. Played tennis, all equipment provided. All for £8.00 per night.
At last the c rail arrived . Took us four and half hours to fit but pleased with result. And then we were off.
Two hours drive to Timaru. Lucy text to say there was a serious fire on the outskirts of Perth. They had been told to evacuate. She grabbed the kids, met Allan at the airport, he had been working away and they booked into a motel one and half hours away as everywhere in Perth was full. For a few days they were not sure if they would have a home to go back to as the wind kept changing direction. The poor fire service struggled to get it under control. Eighteen houses lost but luckily no lives. What a welcome to OZ!!!
We parked on a freedom camp in Timaru, right next to where the little blue penguins nest. We had ,had a tip off as to the best place to watch them returning as it got dark.
Only eight or so feet from the nest we watched the male taking fresh bedding in and then making quite a racket as he called his partner. There were about Sixty or seventy people watching this dwindled to only three as the night wore on. The warden explained that the nest I was standing next to had a female who was always last to return. Waited until ten thirty but was frozen by then so never did see the homecoming. Very disappointed, will have to come back another time.Read more