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Published: April 16th 2009
The next few blogs are going to be written on the run as we are driving from Christchurch to Auckland in only six days and trying to fit a lot in. We picked up a rental car and got a really good relocation deal for only $15 a day! Bargain.
After getting the hang of driving an automatic, we ambitiously set off across to the west coast over the stunning Arthurs Pass. The road heads west from Christchurch where the plains of Canterbury give way to the dramatic, snow topped peaks of the Southern Alps.
We stopped off for lunch at a place called Castle Hill which has boulders strewn about rolling green hills. Unfortunately we were (I was) bothered by a load of wasps so we moved on pretty sharpish.
The thing I cannot get over about New Zealand is the variety of landscapes. One minute you are driving through the Alps, the next you come out on the coast road which looks like the coastline of California but with sub-tropical rainforest on the slopes of the mountains leading to the sea. Very bizarre.
As it was Easter weekend we had booked ahead for accommodation in
a small town called Punakiki. I dont even know if you can call it a town as its really just some hostels and a pub that doubles up as the local shop. It was a perfect place to stay as our hostel was right on the beach and we were blessed with really nice weather so had a stroll down the beach to watch the sunset.
Punakiki is really a town built up around the tourist attraction of the pancake rocks so we headed down there in the morning to see the craziness of nature at work. The sea was quite calm so we didn't get to see the full force of the waves bursting out of the blowholes but we got the general impression.
We also took a walk through the forest down to the beach where we had our first experience with sandflies. These horrible little biting flies are relentless and their bite is worse than a mosquito bite because the itchiness lasts for longer. Luckily an american girl took pity on us and gave us some insect spray so we survived the worst of it.
The drive from the west coast to Picton took a
bit longer than expected but was still pretty scenic, so it was late when we arrived. The ferry journey over to the north island was also very picturesque. It cruises through the Marlborough Sound before heading out to sea and we were lucky to have a smooth crossing so no sea-sickness for me, just a cruisy ride.
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