We left the Lake Benmore camp site at 0930, heading for Christchurch. It had come highly recommended that we try out the pies at Fairlie along the way. That recommendation came with the advice to order from the side window rather than the front walk-in area where a queue was almost guaranteed.
The smoked salmon and bacon pie, with cheese and white sauce, was delicious! The butter chicken one wasn’t as good as the one from our local supermarket. But both had been nicely heated and kept warm, meaning that the pastry was just perfect.
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- Lake Pukaki along the way.
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- Lupins near Lake Tekapo.
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- Yummy pies for lunch at Fairlie.
We got to Christchurch after 1400. Kim test-drove a Mercedes coupe on Blenheim Road before we checked into the Classique Lodge nearby.
The motel was old but clean. The gardens were overgrown with weed though. I wouldn’t be surprised that the Chinese owners were land-banking, hoping to sell or re-develop in the future.
My sandfly bites from Benmore were growing super-itchy. It gave me so much pleasure to scratch them but on the other hand, it brought unbearable itchiness. Self-control is important!
We had dinner with my cousin Dominic at Ancestral in Riccarton. There’s always lots to talk about and our 2h30 meet-up went very quickly.