Advertisement
Published: December 18th 2008
Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
Hello!
Another blog, another country! So we finally made it to New Zealand - 10 days earlier than originally planned after bringing our flight forward in order to find something a bit more challenging!
Our flight arrived in Christchurch just before midnight and the initial plan was to hardcore it and sleep in the airport....little did we know that it was to be a tiny place and so on arrival we frantically phoned around to find somewhere to stay! Our first phone call turned up trumps and even though I had just woken the owner up they were more than happy to take us in and duely gave us the door code instructions of how to get in to what turned out to be their converted home....We felt quite dodgey while creeping into someones house in the middle of the night!!!
We spent a day mooching around Christchurch....which is oddly English, from the architecture right down to the cream teas and "Punting on the Avon".....almost started to believe I'd somehow been transported back home to Warwickshire!!!
Dan - Ok so the plan was to tour New Zealand in a camper van but
being peak season the prices soar to an unfordable & ridiculous amount!! so on deciding what to do we had a brain wave....Car hire remains the normal price throughout the year so if we could hire a car big enough to sleep comfortably in then we're on to a winner.........Meet Home-er, our new home away from home, a cheap, reliable, and roomy (??!) station wagon with in built kitchen (??!) and a room with a view..for half the price of a camper van!!! Yeeeee haaaaaaaa!!! all we needed to get was 1 x air bed, 2 x warm sleeping bags, some kitchen utensils and a gas stove and gas bottle and off we go!!!!!!!!!!!!
First stop was Banks Peninsula an area formed by two giant volcanic eruptions which have since sunk and formed several beautiful bays and harbors.
Nic - The drive to the main village of Akaroa is stunning as it takes you around the edge of the crater, allowing you to peer down over the lush fields and startlingly blue water below. We did most of the drive in the first day of our roadtrip and then veered off the main road and down to a
small bay on the edge where we found a nice little campsite amid pine trees and that then led right out onto the beach. We couldn't wait to set up our new home and cook our first meal.....and surprisingly everything went smoothly for once, we hadn't forgotten to get a thing and when we finally escaped the freezing winds into our new "room with a view" and down sleeping bags (Not taking any chances about me getting cold here, went for the warmest we could!!) we were soon warm and toasty!!
The next day was a complete change and the remainder of the drive around the crater was through the cloud and rain - we couldn't see a thing, so we were lucky to have completed most of it on the first day!
We think we're going to like this independent traveling....it's so much nicer being able to explore at your own pace and veer off whenever you see something nice....we ventured out to a winery, where we attempted to sniff the bouquet and taste the subtle flavours (but obviously ended up gulping the tasters down - so rude to spit it out!) and also to Barry's Bay
cheese farm where we saw it being made and bought a nice bit of pepper chedder...yummy.....so we're off again to explore a little more! Update you again soon!
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 15; qc: 22; dbt: 0.1283s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Dad Walton
non-member comment
Hello N.Z.
Hello people, You do get around a bit, don't you just! Nic, I don't know where your roaming spirit comes from, Dan, yours is from your mum's side, bit of Gippo in you, I believe. Don't go giving quotes for tarmac drives out there, you might regret it! Strange Country, even stranger folk! We miss you like hell, seems like a lifetime since you set off on your travels, looking forward to getting you both back soon. Bit worried about that growth on the top of your head Dan, better get that looked at, can't be too carefull, don't you know! Listen up, love you both to bits, Happy Christmas, have fun, be bold, be bold, bugger it, be bloody bold and have a damn good time. Lots of love from us all. Dad