My Summer Holiday – Part 10 (Rain, winds, salmon and artifacts…)

We left Twizel very early and embark the last leg of the journey to Christchurch. Our annoying co-driver suggested we drive up to Mt Cook. However, the motel owners warned us that a strong cold front is heading our way (I found out later that the entire NZ was affected) and it would be unsafe to travel up the Alps. Hence, the co-driver’s cunning plan was thwarted at the eleventh hour.

We drove past a picturesque lake call Lake Pukaki. On a bright and clear day, you can see Mt Cook and the surrounding Alps at the north. However, fog and cloud covered the skyline and there is nothing much to see. Nevertheless, there is something magical about this lake. Even under the bad weather, the lake water shows a distinctive turquoise colour.

As we drove along the Pukaki-Tekapo Hydro Canal, a few of our travel companions pestered the driver to stop by the salmon farm because they wanted to eat some salmon sashimi. The driver relented and my greedy companions bounded out of the van in no time, dashed into the shop to make orders and gobbled up the raw salmon as though they have been starved for ages.

After 1 full hour, the annoying co-driver persuaded the driver to head for Lake Tekapo because he wanted to see Mt Cook. When we reach Lake Tekapo, the clouds were even thicker and it covered the entire terrain. At last, the co-driver finally gave up and we carried on the journey in silence.

It rained all the way from Lake Tekapo to Christchurch. When we reached Christchurch, it rained even harder and accompanied by strong blustery winds. We were caught in the traffic jam and it took us quite a while to get out of the traffic madness.

Our annoying co-driver thought it would be a lovely idea to visit the Botanical Gardens. What the hell was he thinking? No one in the right mind would stroll in the garden in the midst of a storm. Therefore, by the time he parked the van near the entrance of Botanical Gardens, most of the passengers refused to get down. I however made a quick dash to the museum (right beside the garden entrance) and took my own sweet time to admire the artifacts.

After the museum visit, all of us were very hungry and decided to drive around the city to look for something to eat. Our co-driver refused to pay for the parking fees, instead he suggested we parked the van at some street side further up and walked back to the city center to find a food court.

So all of us braving through foul weather and dashing across the streets in the city just to find a stupid food court. After the so-so dinner, again we made a mad dash across the streets in heavy rains and strong winds to get to our van.

We checked in the motel looking wild and wet. All of us were very tired and we went to bed quite early. The next morning, we would wake up early to catch the early flight back to Auckland.

As I settled down on the bed, I thought about the mad rush that happened for the last few days and decided this trip was not worth it. I felt that holidays is supposed to be relaxed and leisure, not running all over the place like a refugee. What is the point of going to so many places where you only stop by briefly at each spot and miss out all the rest of the scenery? The more I think about it the more I fumed. Anyway, it was too late to do anything and I just had to get over it.

In short, my first summer holiday was ruined, thanks to those inconsiderate and obnoxious travel companions. I told myself that this will be my last trip with them and I shall not travel with them ever again…