Above: Lake Pukaki on the drive back to Christchurch.
The wind last night was worse than the night before. I had a long night sleep to make up for the interrupted sleep due to the wind and noise.
After breakfast, we packed up and said goodbye and thanks to everyone. We hit the road around 1000 for the drive back to Christchurch. Again, it took about 5h including a meal break and a photo stop on the shores of scenic Lake Pukaki (pictured above).
We returned the rental car and were shuttled to the airport before 1600. We were able to wait at the gate on a standby basis for the 1700 flight to Auckland, an hour earlier than our original flight.
It had been a good little trip! In fact, it was my first time ever camping in New Zealand. It would have been even better if the weather had cooperated. As with all my travels (and actually in life), the one thing one cannot control is the weather!