Up at the crack of dawn again but this time we skipped Christchurch and drove straight to a seaside town called Akaroa. We had to leave early so that we would make it in time to swim with the dolphins at 11:30am. Everything was going well, we got up on time, had a quick breakfast, hot shower then just as we were leaving the park, crash! Chris drove straight into a roof. We both sat there frozen as we watched all the leaves and water crap spill across our front screen window. Expensive payout came into both our minds. Chris couldn't believe it and was really annoyed at himself, he said he was concentrating on driving around a small car that was parked without hitting it, said he forgot how big the over hanging front was and how low the over hanging roof was sticking out. Two people came out of their units to see what the noise was and then stared at us. Chris got out to have a look, luckily only the gutter was damaged and not the roof itself. A man who saw everything was laughing to himself, we both felt pretty embarrassed especially as it was only our fourth day with the van! Chris emptied the waste from the van and rinsed the crap off the windscreen before finding the owner of the park. We could see a few scuffs surrounding a chip in the paint work, thats probably going to cost us a fine too! When the owner came to see the damage we thought he would be mad but he was actually more concerned about us! Chris asked him how much he would want for the damage and the guy turned around and said he didn't know how much it would cost so don't worry about it, he didn't want to ruin our holiday! We couldn't believe it, we must be the luckiest people ever, we apologised and thanked the guy over and over then jumped into the van before he could change his mind, he really was a nice old man. Now we need to figure out what to do about the mark on the van before we give it back, I wonder if any more accidents will happen! I mean it really is a big bulky van! I could never imagine driving it.

So we left a little later than we wanted but still had time to make it to Akaroa by 11:30am. My map skills were great and we didn't get lost until suddenly we hit a road that was closed and that road was going to lead us all the way there! There were road works, it must have been damaged by the earth quake. So now I had to find a new route. I was switching between four different maps, I couldn't see the road in front of me at times, folding and unfolding, getting stressed out, I knew these maps weren't going to last long. In the end we had to go a very long way round which meant we weren't going to make it in time. So instead we enjoyed the scenic drive there and planned to swim with them tomorrow. 

The roads took us through the mountains then we were high up on top of a hill that over looked the harbour nestled between a valley. It was a gorgeous view so we stopped to take a photo. The wind was really strong up there so it took at least ten minutes to get a decent one without me looking like I was being electrocuted! In the end the photo looked better without me in it lol. 

As we pulled into town we noticed a lot of the building architecture was French. Lots of boutique bars and little cafes lined the harbour and the low rise homes came with pretty verandas and window shutters. It looked like a very pretty seaside town. We couldn't find a holiday park to stay in so we decided to park up on a street for the night. Chris found a space by the library and drove as close as he could to it so we could use their free internet from inside the camper van, very smart. 

We took a walk around town and found the Black Cat dive office for dolphin swimming, unfortunately we were fifteen minutes late for the swim so didn't make it, so we paid to swim with them tomorrow instead. The lady said there was a chance that the weather conditions could change so it's not guaranteed until last minute. To be honest im not bothered if we can't swim with them, im cold wearing three layers of clothing so im dreading how cold i'll be in 10 degrees water! 

We carried on walking around town and then bought some food and drinks. Chris found some really cheap bottles of beer for only NZ$2 each! So of course he stocked up on a few. It's my sisters birthday today and my mums on Monday, I know they will be celebrating with Bacardi so I wanted to celebrate with them by buying a bottle of my own! I had to buy it from a pub in another part of town, the pub also had beers for only NZ$1 each! Crazy, we couldn't believe how cheap it was so we decided to come back this evening for a few, Chris was pleased because it meant he could watch the rugby tonight, Ireland vs New Zealand. 

We waddled back with bags of alcohol, it looked like we were preparing for a party but it was all for us! I had a couple of Bacardi's with dinner and Chris had a few beers. When we got to the pub we were surprised at how busy it was in there, it was packed! We managed to find a quieter area so we could sit down. After a few cheap ciders for only $2 each I was beginning to feel tipsy. By then the rugby was over and New Zealand had won, then just like that half the people left the pub so we moved to better seats and carried on drinking with each other. We ended up sitting next to a really nice couple from Aukland, the girl was studying in town and had only been there for three days. We told them about the cheap beers then they bought a few, then later on a hen group came in and danced about on the tables, it got quite lively again! It appeared to be all locals in the pub even though there was a backpackers right next door. Some other people joined us after hearing our accents. One was a p****and got thrown out. Another guy was either nice or a bit creepy, he invited us to stay at his farm with him. We were really up for it at the time. 

Closing time came so we said good bye and left. It was pouring with rain outside so we had to run back, we still ended up very wet. We were both pretty drunk by then. I ended up passing out on the sofa.