Final days in Te Anau

After nearly two months of being based in Te Anau it was  getting close to the time we had to move on.
There were still quite a few jobs that we wanted done before our new tenant, Chloe, wanted to move in on Saturday.  We were very excited to find her - she had an advertisement on the notice board at the supermarket, as she has a permanent job with DOC as a marine biologist and is keen for a long term tenancy.

Stephen has beavered away at his project in the garage and it is now starting to really take shape. The new sliding doors that he fitted have added a lot more light and the loft area upstairs is now all lined and insulated. We managed to squeeze a queen sized mattress up there but I suspect the only way it will ever be taken out is if Stephen lifts the roof to make a more useable space in the future. In the meantime we could use it is as an extra sleeping space. One day we will also add a bathroom in the space he has framed up.

One project I was keen to do was a restoration of an old bedroom suite that is in the main bedroom. A veneered duchess, two bedside cabinets and a bed head were all looking very much worse for wear and were threatened with being taken to the recycling centre. When I was in Greymouth, Shirley's niece Brooke inspired me with her ideas on giving such furniture a facelift.  Not wanting to spend too much I used the exterior house paint (we had quite a bit of that left) after applying a special coat of smooth coat which helps paint stick to surfaces like laminates, glass or previously varnished surfaces.  It is hard to believe the transformation and we are extremely pleased with the results.

The final project that Stephen wanted to complete before we left was the removal of the VERY LARGE walnut tree. We don't normally like to cut down such large and beautiful trees but this one was very much in the wrong place. David and Stephen had planted it nearly 30 years ago when they first bought the section and it had just got too big for such a small site. As well as blocking the view of Mt Luxmore, it was also cutting a lot of light of the house especially in the afternoon. The trunk at this stage has remained and I should imagine that it could easily come away again so a final decision on its fate is still to be made.

Moving back into the bus was also a much bigger exercise than we expected. It is amazing how much 'stuff' had migrated from it to inside.  By Friday night we were all finished and were ready to pull off site on Saturday morning, just as Chloe was preparing to move in.