Day 18. Rakaia Gorge via Sheffield. Pie heaven.

We'd planned to spend the day hiking in the mountains but woke to find thick cloud cover and even thicker drizzle. So we packed up and motored south, ending up at a little campsite on Rakaia Gorge. Three quid a night for the van and the two of us. Bargain.

PIE ALERT.

Disregard what I said yesterday about Springfield pies being the best in NZ. Found some superior examples today in a little town called Sheffield - veggie for Wend, Steak and mushroom for me. And served by a reassuringly normal person too.

Apart from the pies, another memorable episode on the journey was when we stopped for a roadside brew and an Alpine Parrot started eating the van.

According to the missus, who knows a thing or two about Parrots, these birds are called Keas, and are regarded as something of a pest, especially in ski resort car parks, where they have a penchent for the rubber window seals that posh skiing types have on their daft 4x4's.