16 November

Today is the final day, but we do not fly out to Brisbane until later in the day so still some time to take in New Zealand's south island.

Jake is becoming attached to the seagull with only one leg and, despite the signs asking guests not to feed the birds, he cannot resist this little needy one! Our remaining bread and other scraps are eagerly devoured by the group.

Back around the lake, through the mountains as we head north to Christchurch where Bill is now feeling quite anxious about returning the campervan. They have our bags stored, so final packing cannot be done until we are at the depot, but this turns out to be a very smooth and quick process.

This left plenty of time for us to explore the Antarctica Exhibition, conveniently located near Christchurch Airport - and no doubt, like us the final call for many tourists. This holds a wonderful, interactive exhibition that leaves me feeling quite passionate about the need to preserve the Antarctic environment - the final continent that has not been significantly altered by man.

We also went for a ride in a fairly bumpy vehicle - apparently one used in the Antarctic environment. I am not so sure that the bumps and jerks were particularly good for my back, but I will survive.

A simulated snow storm in Antarctica is also quite an experience - one I do not necessarily want to experience in real life!

From here we are off to the airport and on our way home to Qld, where Jake will spend a few days before heading back down south.