Lake Hakanoa

Today was our last full day with the van before we return it in Auckland tomorrow. Ironically, it stood still all day at Lake Hakanoa, where we parked it yesterday, while we circumnavigated the small lake on foot.

A menagerie at Lake Hakanoa

This was a pleasant walk, taking in an outdoor 'Green Cathedral' - a popular spot for local weddings, which can seat up to 170 people - and plenty of wildlife, including black swans, Canada geese, silver shags, and a confused looking hedgehog that was out snuffling in the grass well after its bedtime.

A pair of shags

After a brief spell of sunshine, which allowed us to enjoy a hastily concocted potato salad with a ginger beer, we began the task for which neither of us had much relish: packing up and clearing out the camper van. Much of the rest of the day was spent uncovering items from the deepest recesses of the van's internal compartments, separating the vital from that which we have carried with us for the past six weeks (often longer) without using, and repacking our rucksacks.

With the van returned to the order in which we received it, we relaxed with a beer or two (Garage Project's superb Aro Noir stout and Moa's surprisingly sour rum-aged Belgian 'quad'). Dinner was the vegetarian staple, lentil pasta bolognese, which was hearty and filling.