Matt T., Manning Place, Christchurch, via airbnb

Friday, February 8: Auckland: Warm and fairly sunny
Christchurch: Pretty much the same, a bit cooler

I was up as the first one this morning and got through the bathroom before everyone else. While the others were having breakfast, I finished my packing, and when I saw I. coming down I went up and took my leave of Chinara, who was very much hugs this morning.

Then it was time for my breakfast, washing up and doing the final checks. Took a couple of photographs from the deck and one of the house but noticed that I had packed the wrong camera into the rucksack. Anyhow, soon after that I was on my way to the bus stop which I reached in very good time for the first bus that I had envisaged.

The trip to town can be very short, and this one was, and as it took me only a few minutes to get to Queen St, I was able to catch an earlier bus. A woman at the downtown bus stop enquired – perhaps a little jocularly – whether I was going to the airport, to which I replied that it didn’t look like I was dressed for shopping. She said my bus was the one after hers, but both seemed to take yonks to arrive, and my bus, at least, took more yonks to get through town picking up a couple of passengers at each stop.

The rest of the trip went on schedule, even if the pace wasn’t blistering and we were at the domestic terminal as the first stop. I got my boarding pass and then drank the lemonade I had with me; then waited around a bit for the internet where I messaged Matt. Then it was through security, a wait for the plane to arrive and disgorge the passengers from Christchurch and pretty soon we were all seated and ready for takeoff. I had been given a window seat in the exit row in this A300, and so had the responsibility of opening it on occasion of crew members shouting, “Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate!”

Was seated next to a couple from Hamilton on their way to Christchurch and chatted with them a little about travel. Spectacular views of The Spit, Kaikoura Ranges, and the Alps (including Mt Cook?) and we were soon back on the ground. Only mishap of the day was that no definite meeting point had been arranged, so it was eventually up to me to find Matt at the two-minute stop-and-drop which only became clear after I had phoned Michael, the PLB man.

After ascertaining that Michael was still at Garden City Helicopters we went out there to meet him. Oh dear, it was lecture time. First, half an hour on the PLB itself. Then another thirty minutes on a Spot Tracker that I was getting for free. Just hope I can work out how to operate them without necessarily triggering a major SAR operation.

Time seemed to be slipping past us and Matt – who as a tramping guide was also vitally interested in the operation of the devices – decided he had to pick up his son, which got us on a fairly slow-moving road to Woolston. Here and there some earthquake destruction, but, of course, much more in the centre of town.

Once at Matt’s place I was shown how to use the washing machine and a couple of places nearby where I could shop. Then Matt left for his son and I started phase I of the repack. Matt and L. returned and we went to a supermarket with such an odd assortment of goods that I couldn’t find what I wanted to buy in the right amounts. At some point the discussion had become centred on fire-making. I was dispatched to Mitre 10 to buy my fuel bottle, on a mountain bike with a slightly flat tyre, and a mandatory helmet. At Mitre 10 the gas bottle got cheaper as I passed through the checkout (just under $10); I had also wanted to buy some watershield for the boots but all they had on offer was a can for $50.

Then I set off back and bought some beer.

Now was the time for the experiments to begin. Matt was convinced that a can with holes in the bottom, filled with twigs could be ignited by the gas cooker and used to start the main fire. First, we stacked a couple of sticks up vertically in a beans can and fired it up. Lots of smoke and the can became red hot, but nothing much else was happening until I turned the gas off, whereupon the charred twigs burst into flame. Secondly, we tried a tuna can with the sticks horizontal. That also caught on fire, but not as spectacularly. Finally, the beans can was modified with hole in the side near the bottom, and holes in a ring around the top. That was the best. The large ventilation hole at the side could also be used by the billy mover to lift the can. Boys and fire, I.

I needed to eat so we took off to the fish’n’chip shop on the corner and I ordered a cheeseburger and chips for $5.3, which was more than enough. After dinner, Matt wanted to know whether with the limited amount that he had told be about what I will call the TV candle (short for tampon-vaseline), I would light the fire in the lounge.

A TV candle works as follows: Take a tampon and remove the gauze cover so that the mass of absorbent material can be plucked into a fluffy cloud. Take a third of this and apply about 2 g of vaseline. Light by means of a knife rubbing on a flintstone to produce sparks. Most of the fluffy mass burns away quickly, but the remainder serves as a wick the vaseline evaporates along. Fire was going in under a few minutes. Boys and fire, II. And the clothes dried slowly on the hearth.