We picked our car up around 10am on Wednesday morning and this was the first time we had our own transport on our travel adventure so far. As you can imagine, both Ash and I were happy about not having to catch a bus / boat / train for the next 4 weeks! Off we went on our first road trip over the hills leaving Christchurch behind until we reached Lyttelton, a small harbour town on the northern side of the Banks Penninsula. After enjoying fish and chips by the sea in the glorious sunshine (the weather decided to be good to us that day) we then took the scenic route over to Akaroa. As we drove along Summit Road (the name speaks volumes) we took in the breathtaking scenery over Christchruch and its surrounding areas. I was only glad Ash was driving as it was incredibly windy. However we were soon to learn that New Zealands roads are much quieter than we thought, not only on Summit Road but everywhere!

Thursday was the start of our real road trip. After all of us being woken up suddenly at 6am from the earthquake we were up and about in no time. The weather wasnt quite as nice to us this day and we were back to raincoats and trousers. Who said New Zealand was like England!? Before setting off in the car we strolled into the city one last time to catch a quick glimpse of the Buskers Festival that was kicking off for 10 days.

Around midday we set off for Lake Tekapo which sits pretty much bang in the middle of the South Island. The weather didnt improve as we drove and so the scenery wasnt as good as we had expected due to reduced visibility. Ash drove, I map read and Pete and Julie sat in the back amongst all of our hand luggage. We had a pleasant journey and enjoyed our first night on the road in a snug little room with only a skylight! If only the weather was better and we could see the stars. Before dinner we enjoyed another leisurely stroll around the lake geared up in our waterproofs taking in the vastess of the lake. When it came to bedtime I was that cold (rememeber I havent had a UK winter this year!) I used the electric blankets that were on the beds!!

Friday was the day we headed to Queenstown, adventure capital of New Zealand. Which activities would we indluge in?!!