Woke in Timaru, a walk, ablutions, breakfast and a last surf on the excellent internet service then we headed for Christchurch. Nice flat roads on this our last section, but very few stopping off places, which was frustrating but we stopped in the town of Rakaia by the 50 foot high fish, a Salmon I think and had a coffee.

Then back over NZ's longest bridge. Both their longest road bridge and longest rail bridge are situated here where they cross the wide mostly dry bed of the river Braided the bridges are apparently approx 1750 meters in length.

We then traveled on into Christchurch. The map reading (Jackie) was of a high standard and even though the driver (me) missed one turning we arrived at the camp site (top 10 Christchurch) promptly.

The camp is easily the best equipped camp and very nearly the best maintained camp that we have been to (crap net connection though) it has a spa pool, heated swimming pool, BBQ's etc etc. The shower block was very high tech having proximity sensing taps that turn on when you assume the position and don't flow into a sink but onto a sloping bit of marble and into a trough behind. It is also the most expensive camp at $36 a night (with member discount).

We settled in then at 2pm took a bus into the city. Christchurch has a reputation for having an English feel and it certainly does in part. Bits of the town are reminiscent of Cambridge or maybe Oxford, with several colleges and a river (the Avon) on which people travel in punts. It was Sunday and generally pretty quiet but there was quite a crowd around the Cathedral Square where a brass band was playing.

The City Walk began in Cathedral Square at the centre of which is the Cathedral itself (built between 1864 1904). Apparently a "panoramic view of Christchurch" can be seen from its tower. Also in Cathedral Square a statue of John Robert Godley (1867) 2, 'the founder of Canterbury'.

The Chalice sculpted by Neil Dawson in 2001 is also unmissable in the square it's 18 meters high and was produced to celebrate the new millennium and the 150th anniversary of the founding of Christchurch

Following the guide book we walked past the Regent Theatre (1905). We then passed the statue of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott (1917) then across the Avon River at the Worcester Street bridge (1885), with it's ornate iron balustrades. To the north of the Municipal Chambers building is the Kate Sheppard Memorial sculpted by Margaret Windhausen. Commemorating that New Zealand was the first self governing country in the world to grant women the right to vote.

Over the Worcester Street bridge you turn left to follow the Avon River past the hitching post and gas lamp standards. Past the Hereford Street bridge and on to The Bridge of Remembrance which stands at the end of City Mall. 'Friendship Corner' is located next to the bridge.

We carried on along the river, past Rhododendron Island with the white timber Gothic Church of S. Michaell's (1872) across the river.

Further along the river bank, beneath the old trees, we travel along Montreal Street to the Antigua Street Boat sheds (1882), where tourists were taking pleasure trips on punts operated by a local university.

We then walked up Rolleston Avenue and through the Botanic Gardens with it's various statues and flower beds etc and into the Canterbury Museum The Museum has displays of natural and social history, and include an area dedicated to Antarctic exploration including an array of disused equipment brought back from the Antarctica as part of a clean up operation.

We then left the Museum and made our way back up Worcester Boulevard to the city centre. All in all a very nice city.

We traveled back to the camp via Bus, where we had our last meal and night in the camper, we celebrated with enough wine to mean that we will both wake with a hangover. All in all a very full day