Today we had planned to sight-see… but not only did we get up late, but it was chucking it down outside, discouraging our efforts pretty firmly. We sat around the house for a while – altho’ we did manage to do some very necessary clothes-washing – but eventually we were forced out. We had promised to cook dinner for the house tonight, so Val had to but meat from the butcher around the corner, while I volunteered to plod to town to obtain other things. Most important, I wanted to withdraw our PO money, + change into Aussie dollars – we were flying out tomorrow afternoon, + were cutting things a bit fine as it was. The weather was still foul, but I must admit I enjoyed my soggy trudge thro’ the park to town, tho’ I must have looked a bit of a comical sight, with my bright blue poncho on, plus flip-flops (I had no dry socks to wear) plodding thro’ the wet, head down. I found it to be like Christmas, rushing round in the rain, trying to get things done. I wasn’t able to change the money as it happened, not having our tickets with us, but I was assured I would be able to do so tomorrow morning… not that such assurances count for anything. I did however buy a bottle of wine + then catch the bus home.
Our meal went off well – all members of the house were present – + we demolished a meat + potato pie, followed by banana + walnut cream. We sat + chatted with John + Pat for a time afterwards, drinking a liqueur or 2, + then, suddenly realising how late it was, Val + I rushed off to the pictures again. We had discovered that the local cinema, just 3 or 4 hundred yards away, was showing a double bill of “Arthur”, a film we had long wanted to see, with Goldie Hawn’s “Foul Play”. We were nearly late tho’, + once again must have cut a comical sight, both mildly drunk from wine + liqueurs, running thro’ the dark + rain in identical royal blue ponchos. I really don’t know why we bothered at all. “Foul Play” was dull + boring, “Arthur” was worse, badly –written, sentimental twaddle.
Our last full day in New Zealand, and taken up with rushing round in the rain and ponchos in order to get it all done… including a pretty dire double-bill. Picture is of Christchurch Cathedral (subsequently damaged in the earthquake?)as part of the sight-seeing we never got to do.
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