Today is the last day for having the van. We are going to clean it out and return it. Of course this means that we had to move all the rest of our stuff into the cabin for storage and make our plans to ensure we got everything done that required the use of the van.
It is a amazing how dependent you become to having transportation around and as we talked about what was needed our list included a bit of grocery shopping for dinner, going to a used bookstore to exchange books and filling up with gas. (We have one last Cole’s coupon for 8 cents per litre to use). So our morning plans became fixed with these chores and cleaning up the van for returning.
The concept of used book stores is really important over here since the cost of books is extremely expensive. A small pocketbook costs close to $25.00. However, when you go to an exchange store they expect you to take as many books as you bring in and pay a small difference. So we had 6 books and had hoped to exchange them for about 2 or 3 but nope, we had to leave with 6. This means that we are still packing as many books tomorrow. Since the cost of books in New Zealand is suppose to be even more expensive, I guess it is good we have some reading material on hand.
Speaking of books I have found a new author James Patterson who writes very interesting books. So I have been working my way through his books as I can find them. The one I finished today was Elizabeth Martin who was the author me met at the lake a couple of days ago. This is not the usual genre for me to read but I did enjoy her writing style and the fact that she uses locations in this area in her writing which we have explored. I will be bringing the book home is anyone wishes to borrow it.
Ok after the running around and completing the chores we headed downtown to drop off the van. We had no problem locating the business and had a good chat with the guy who we returned the van. He asked us to write an email to the PR department with a few of our concerns and suggestions. He assured us that we would be reimbursed for the oil and wiper blades we had to buy but time will tell on that. We mentioned the problem of having the frig run off the battery only without an 220 converter, the cooling fan that only worked when the ignition key was on (hard to use overnight) and a few other minor things. However, over all we were very satisfied with the Juicy Van and we put on about 6500 km on it and about 1500 km on the van in Tasmania. We did do some traveling.
We wandered around the boardwalk and streets downtown for a bit sightseeing. The tide is out and we noted the number of crabs roaming around on the mud. Another interesting sight along the esplanade is the outdoor weight/gym setup. It must be interesting to be doing a workout plan with people walking around and especially with the heat and humidity. Needless to say we did not see anyone using the equipment. 
Then we decided it was time to find the buses and find out way back to the campsite. Not really a problem but the bus did go through a couple of residential areas and we saw new areas of the city. Once we got home I made arrangements for a taxi pickup for the airport tomorrow morning at 10:30 since our plane is to fly out at 12:20.
After all this, we did a laundry again (never seems to end doing laundry) and relaxed for an hour before dinner. Our goal is to try to clear out all the remaining food before we leave and basically we have managed. We will find someone to give the rest to in the morning before we leave but it is not much.
I am not sure how we will arrange all the suitcases again but it will have to happen tomorrow. We both have started to rethink the items we carry as we travel and by the time we pack for the Europe trip I suspect we will have much less. You really do not need a lot of clothes when you are traveling if you have access to a washer and dryer.
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