The Lazy Cow

It's Christmas Eve! Amy and I leizurely packed up camp and set off back to Marahou for our pickup and ride to Motueka. The sea wasn't too choppy, so we were able to stop and enjoy the scenery. By lunchtime the sun had disappeared and it started raining, however, it didn't keep us from enjoying our lunch on a secluded beach watching the world go by!

Once back in Motueka, we were able to take a quick shower before starting our drive down the west coast of the South Island. We had made no accomodation plans for the rest of the trip, so we decided to just drive and see where we ended up that night. We ended up at the Lazy Cow, a hostel in the small town of Murchison, population 850. The Lazy Cow is best described by Amy, "It's just a bit dodgy." It was pretty much a house with about 4 rooms, with a communal kitchen and bathroom. It was owned by a middle aged man who lived in the house as well, so it felt like we were staying in some strange man's house. But the door had a lock and there didn't seem to be any other place available, so we took it.

We had the foresight to go food shopping before everything closed down for Christmas, and then we found the only place open, besides the pubs, to go for some dinner. The River Cafe was festive and playing "A New Zealand Christmas," over the radio. Amy and I had missed that song when trying to remember and sing all the Christmas songs we could think of while driving! We found out our rental car did not have a working radio, so we settled for singing ourselves, which for the most part sounded...horrendous!