Christchurch to Auckland via Lyttelton - 2nd May to 7th May

They started with us starting to pull bits together to get ready for disembarking the campervan. Once we had settled down and cleaned out the place we started the short journey down the motorway to Christchurch. As we got closer to the city the backdrop was spectacular, behind the city sat Mt Hutt and Arthurs pass, the latter being one of our most memorable times here in New Zealand. On arrival to the city we refueled and headed towards the Air Museum, even though we had been to one only days before in Ashburton we felt that with the attraction being free and all it would be a shame not to go. The place clearly had much more funding, not to mention that it was once one of the countries most active RAF bases. As we spent the morning there we departed with the sun beaming down and a cold brisk wind blowing from the mountains of the west. After lunch we headed in to the heart of the city, once we eventually found parking on a busy Saturday afternoon we headed in to Cathedral Square where we watched the world go by with a traditional coffee. We looked across the square and watched the weekend buskers play their hearts out while locals thrived around the small but spacious market in the centre.

Once the afternoon started to pass we made our way back to the camper for dinner before heading back in to the city to check in with the parents back home. It was great to catch up with the parents after such a long time of not speaking and with the campervan starting to lose its shine, "well let's face it that went a while ago" but it relaxed the mood. Rachel and I strolled back to the camper in better moods and after a steep drive through Dyers Pass we found a lay by to stop in for the night by the water's edge.

The next day we awoke slowly to the sound of birds and the water. A peaceful way to wake with a city only just down the road. Once we got motivated we took the drive back up Dyer's Pass where we enjoyed quite spectacular views overlooking the entire city and the mountains behind, now completely snow capped which glowed in the morning sun. We then decided to take the scenic route to the small suburb of Lyttleton, we crossed over the top of the hills around Christchurch to get here, the drive was slow but picturesque at the same time but it was extremely cold even with the sun on us. As we round over the hills we enjoyed views both side from the city itself to Akaroa bay and the Volcano crater it sits in. Before lunch we climbed up to the highest point for the perfect picture and watched as Falcons dived for prey and sheep tried to figure out the best way to walk back down the hills they had climbed. As our stomachs rumbled we stopped for lunch and the Lyttelton lookout point over the harbor. The place was and still is a main port for the region, and a major player in coal exports.

Once refueled we headed down in to the town, the small place was home to a small number of residents but clearly a popular place to work with the port. We took a stroll around the town down Norwich Quay and on to London Street, a stark difference to the street names just down the road which were mainly French. As the afternoon wore on we were lured in to the chippy for some fish and chips "a treat" before climbing back to where we had camped the first night although we did spent an hour on the internet overlooking the town thanks to Steve's house. As we arrived back to camp for the second night we were getting more and more excited of the thought of a real bed, two nights away now it seemed like an end of a era but one that was going to be welcomed with open arms.

The sun same up once more for our final day in the campervan, this time we did not wake to the sounds of nature, as the sounds of morning commuters and turbo engines and exhausts ripped through the air. As we drove in to the city early, Rachel took the opportunity to contact her Mum whilst I found parking for the morning. As I walked through the park to meet her in the internet café I was pleased to be greeted with the knowledge that Norwich had been relegated "ha" before we set of for a day of mixed events. We started with a coffee, "so broke I know but it tastes good" then we took a walk around the park and through numerous souvenir shops before heading for lunch in the botanical gardens. As the afternoon pulled in we headed to the Canterbury Museum, a free exhibit once more that tells the story of Christchurch, its founders and a world of history from around the globe, although not as interactive as Wellington, it was still packed full of exciting and interesting facts, laid out perfectly for people of all ages to enjoy. Although the weather cupboard certainly made us jump with a blast of wind and thunder.

As the sun started to descend on our campervanning we looked back on all the things we had done and all the places we had seen, I mean we would never have seen half the stuff we saw if we did not have the lovely Cindy to take us there. We looked back to swimming with dolphins on the Bay of Islands, the failed but enjoyable fishing trip of the east coast, the freefall of 15000 feet in Taupo, the smells of Rotorua, the hike from hell in the Marlbough Sounds, the wet but alluring West Coast, the stunning mountain climb of Arthurs Pass and of course the sand flies. But that was not all Rachel and I have grown really close in the time we have had together in the campervan and the entire trip, albeit we know probably a little too much about each other these days but it's all part of the fun, I don't think we can ever look back and say we did it easy way but we defiantly did it the best way. The diet of Cereal and Mince will long be forgotten but the memories, the people and the places we have seen will stay with us forever.

As we pulled up to the Jucy office, 15 minutes late… we dropped her off and before we knew it we were whisked off to Christchurch airport where we flew to Auckland. As the plane took off the country was summed up with just one glance out the round window of the plane, in front was the snow capped mountains of Arthurs pass, to our left a turquoise sea, alive with marine life and to our right a seemingly endless path of trees. New Zealand may have been invaded by the Europeans years ago but its natural beauty is still and will always be there, I love the place and would not hesitate to come back, although I think I might be hiring a 6 person Kea… to myself.

As we arrived in to Auckland we knew the drill, once we collected our bags we grabbed the bus in to the city centre where we arrived at our apartment for the next couple of nights, TV bed and I did not have to duck when I entered the kitchen area, heaven. We ate out at the Asian food market where we had started our New Zealand adventure before spending the night watching TV for the first time in two months, a long time for my generation in reality. The next day we did little to pass the time other than relax and get our stuff together for Fiji, we called in at a charity shop to donate a few items, no longer needed, "well they just would not fit in the bag anymore" before enjoying a Dominoes Pizza for dinner whilst watching The Whicker Man.

The next day would be the start of a new adventure, one that was most like going to consist of beach bumming and sunning for two weeks, we had earned it though; the time in New Zealand has been adventurous and fun. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other, the country brings out the beast from within, the beast that makes you get up and go, to live and experience the outdoors. The people of New Zealand are a healthy bunch; they are outside the majority of the time enjoying the land. As the Maori's say, "Live off the Land," many do and that is the best way to be. We will continue eating their sheep back home which will always remind us of the places we visited as where ever we went whatever we were doing there was always a sheep to welcome you to its home.