NZ thus Far (Christchurch to Lake Takepo!)

Arrived into Christchurch on Sunday 13th Sept. Our first experience in the airport was the amazing tourist information section!! Its clear to see what a huge role tourism plays in the countries economy. After making use of the freephone to book our transport (Other Countries should take a leaf out of NZ’s book! )we were met by out Super shuttle chauffeur – super friendly keith!

First stop for us – the Jail House Hostel – A former prison on the outskirts of Christchurch town, it closed in 1989 when the location was deemed inappropriate to house dangerous convicts! (ie. Its right in the middle of a residential district) We decided to book ourselves a couple of nights accommodation to get accustomed to the area/climate change!
As soon as we had dumped our things in our cell – we walked into town, just in time to catch the weekly arts & crafts market. With street performers in full swing and the sun shining brightly above us the atmosphere was great. Taking time out to try our first NZ pub – Andy had his first (mini) pint of local ale and i had a lovely glass of NZ wine.
We then stumbled across our first “I-site” (information centre) We had been given a tip off about these in Fiji – the best place to visit in towns to find out whats on/book activities/stock up on the freebie maps! As with the airport we were suitably impressed!

Our second day was spent walking around the other parts of town, marvelling at the sites – including Cathedral Square and the local tram service – we also decided to invest in jackets , despite the lovely sunshine – it was bloody freezing! We soon realised it was all about wearing layers.

Our third day we were due to go and collect our campervan- however I was unfortunately struck down by the Fijian bug that had been doing the rounds. To cut a long story short (and miss out all the grissly details!) We decided to stay in Christchurch for a couple more days to recover.
Andy was forced to venture out alone and discovered the delights of pak n save – Costcos meets Macros meets Morrissons?! Proved himself to be a Very good husband in managing to look after his wife!

On Thursday 17th sept we finally got to collect our campervan! Rather boringly the van is called Red – so we renamed him Rodney!
We set off for Akaroa and the Banks Penninsula – hour and a half south of Christchurch. The result of a volcanic eruption this crater now has a beautiful lake. The town of Akaroa was originally a French settlement and retains many of its French characteristics
Quaint buildings, French name places – beautiful!
After a night in Akaroa (Time to adjust to living in such a small confined space) we moved onto Timaru, further down the east coast. By this point the weather had turned somewhat...’grey’ but we managed to go and see Caroline Bay, by the side of which there is a project to regenerate the Sand Dunes

On Saturday 19th we moved inland to Lake Tekapo – via Geraldine, a lovely small farming town, renowned for its homemade food goods! We were disappointed to discover the farmers market didn’t start until October. All thanks to Lonely Planet advising people to visit it - apparently the poor lady in the i site centre had already had 3 other couples enquiring about it that morning)
On our approach to Lake Tekapo , the first glimpses can only be described as AMAZING! Bright blue waters – a result of sediments in the water causing greater reflections of the sky. We were fortunate to find a campsite bordering the lake. With Rodney parked up – we would wake up to uninterrupted views of the lake – not bad!
We headed up to the local pub (which also bordered the lakeside) to watch the Tri Nations match between the All Blacks and Australia and met a lovely couple from Cardiff who give us lots of tips for the north island and south east asia. The guys soon learnt to keep critical comments about the all blacks to a minimum (when surrounded by all Kiwi rugby fans)
On our return to the campsite, we encountered our first experience of the problems that can arise with campsite living....our newly arrived neighbours had stolen our electric hook up plug! On any other occasion, we may have just ignored this and gone to bed....but not when our only weapon against a freezing night in the van (our little electric heater!) required the plug socket. Fortunately the lovely kiwi man reacted very well to my knocking on his campervan door and requesting he move his plug!!

The next morning we headed up to Mount John Observatory. After an ‘interesting’ drive – teetering on the edge of winding hillside roads – Rodney did really well! We were met with phenomenal 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. With a hot chocolate in hand we spent time just absorbing the amazing views. The clear blue skies just amplified the beauty of the area!
We really appreciated being in the same place for a couple of days, as it gave us a chance to relax and really get to grips with the campervan living.
We decided to make the most of our campsite location (adjacent to the hot spring spa) and headed off for a night time dip in the hot pools. There is nothing quite like lounging in pools, overlooking Lake Takepo & the surrounding mountains, with an unspoilt view of the stars overhead. It made us realise just how much light pollution we have in London!

Next Stop...Mount Cook!