The Campervan Diaries of New Zealand!

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Melbourne to Christchurch

Despite the ridiculously early start from Melbourne, neither Gary or myself got much sleep on the flight to New Zealand. I think this was due to the excitement of exploring a new country once again. Australia was great and we managed to see a large proportion of the country, however we were more than eager to get to pastures new.

The flight was only 3 hours however with the time difference it was around 2pm when we arrived in Christchurch. The visibility was surprisingly poor during the descent however when we arrived greeted by a snow blizzard it all began to make sense. The fresh, crisp air seemed somewhat welcoming, it felt like we were back home!!

Due to problems with the website we had not managed to book our campervan prior to our arrival, so we decided to enquire at some of the sales desks at the airport, in hope that we did not have to spend a night in a hostel before one became available. Luck was in our favour and we managed to book a campervan with no hassle, in fact it was slightly cheaper than the internet quote we had received from another company.

A few hours later after lots of waiting around, tasting terrible free coffee and numerous forms which had to be filled in, we had our campervan and were on the road.

Christchurch in the Snow

We decided to drive into Christchurch to see what it had to offer and find a place for us to stay for the evening. As we circled the town the snow continued to fall and we began to feel rather Christmas-y.

Having had nothing to eat all day we headed for a McDonalds for tea (they're classier here too) and then picked up a few resources at the very cheap supermarket before heading to a campsite for the evening. Due to some unclear road signs, we spent quite a while driving about Christchurch attempting to find a campsite. When we eventually did get one, the office had shut! Thinking we may have a night out a lay-by, our fears were allayed when we found another with proper office opening hours and we were soon plugged in on our site. The downside of campervan-ing around New Zealand was that camping with no power supply (which meant no heater) during winter was going to be very cold. We will try it at some point though.

We set up the bed, closed all the curtains and switched on the fan heater and before too long the van began to heat up and look quite cosy. We glanced over the Lonely Planet for some inspiration and guidance on timescales and highlights of New Zealand before heading off to the land of nod!!

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Photos

Emma And Our Van
Our home and transportation for the next 3 weeks.

Welcoming Weather
Blizzards in Christchurch.

Upside Down
A Kiwi view of the atlas.

Inside The Van
Driver's cockpit behind the curtain and bed out of shot.