I first visited New Zealand for short stay in 1990 and ever since that brief glimpse have been longing to go back. The variety, abundance and beauty of nature and geography that I discovered merited a longer visit and I really wanted to spend an extended time touring the country to experience it all. Finally, 35 years later, I am finally back! And I am back to stay for nearly three months taking my time to slowly explore both the north and south islands as I roam through the country in a self-contained camper van. I’m really looking forward to this trip—a bucket list item for decades!!!!
Fountain at the main entrance to the Christchurch botanic gardens.
One of the paths through the garden, which illustrates a typical riverside walking path along the Avon.
I arrived in Christchurch a day and a half earlier than my camper van booking to have some time to explore the city and also adjust to the time difference; it is a long trip from the US. Christchurch is a very walkable city with great public transportation, and I had no problems moving around the city center or traveling in from the airport. The jewel at the heart of the city center, the Avon river, creates a necklace of green space throughout the city, anchored by the beautiful Christchurch botanical gardens. The river, while not that wide, flows swiftly, hosting kayakers and punting tours. I visited the botanical garden on a beautiful, sunny Sunday, and was not alone; locals and visitors alike were out walking and picnicking. Meandering randomly, with no destination in mind, but simply enjoying the weather and the beautiful flowering plants, I heard music in the distance. Following my ears I stumbled upon a small crowd surrounding a gazebo hosting what appeared to be a rag-time band. I settled down to listen for a short while before continuing on my way. Leaving the music behind, as I walked north along the river, I noticed a huge stream of people walking south on the opposite, all sporting some form of pink. (I found out later it was a breast cancer awareness walk.) The botanical garden hosts a huge rose garden, but unfortunately the roses were not yet in bloom—I’ll have to stop by in a month when I return my campervan – hopefully they’ll be flourishing.
Gazebo hosting a Sunday afternoon concert. Despite looking like a rag-time band they played a wide variety of music.
Feeling a bit hungry I headed out of the botanical garden over to the River Market, a large building hosting a variety of food vendors, with seating along the river. I ended up with Indian food and could not pass up sampling some of the baked goods at another stall. (I went back for breakfast the next day too!). Refueled, I spent a moment to sort out the bus system because my next stop, and high on my must-see list was a visit to the International Antarctic Center and its adjacent museum, located out by the airport. I headed over to the bus terminal to hunt down bus 8 which stops right in front of the museum- it was remarkably straightforward and within 30 minutes I was at the museum buying my ticket. Christchurch is the gateway to the Antarctic for the US Antarctic program, which works closely with the New Zealand teams. As a matter of fact, the US facilities, which host the Air Force cargo planes and logistic activities to supply the US research stations, is located right across the street from the museum.
International Antarctic Center and home to the Christchurch Antarctic Museum.
…And right across from the Center is the US National Science Facility which manages the logistical support for the US research stations.
I spent several hours wondering through the museum, almost an hour of which was watching a documentary about life in the Antarctic for those who winter over to maintain the facilities. Only skeleton crews remain and they endure through severe weather, several months of darkness and isolation. Fascinating and some of it felt very familiar! The International Antarctic Center also hosts a penguin rescue program, taking care of wounded animals. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in Christchurch.
The featured image shows the outside of the camper van. This is the inside. it is wonderfully cozy and will be my home for the next month.
The next day I found my way to Mad Campers, the company I rented from, to pick up my camper van and start my month long South Island adventure. I spent an hour or so getting briefed on how the various systems worked (electricity, pluming, kitchen, toilet, gas, etc..) as well as unpacking and storing my things before I hit the road. I took good notes, but the van comes with a basic instruction manual in case I need reminders. In addition, before leaving the US I did some homework, receiving a more thorough training session and spending the night , in friend’s camper van. Thanks to that experience, I felt fairly comfortable. Leaving the parking lot, I did not go far- there was a grocery store across the street and I also needed to stock up on some basics. The van has a small fridge and a one burner induction stove so I will be able to prepare my own meals.
New Zealand drives on the left so I stayed pretty alert (and will continue to do so) as I pulled out into traffic and headed north on route 1 to my first stop, Kaikoura. New Zealand is mainly rural. Christchurch, at approximately 500,000 people, is the second largest city behind Auckland, and the largest city on the south island. So while route 1 is a considered a major motorway, it quickly reduced to two lanes and meandered through small towns shortly out of Christchurch. As I progressed north, I could see the southern alps looming in the distance. Heading into the foothills, the road curved, climbed and descended enough to give a me a feel for some of the more challenging drives ahead of me for the next month. It was a good training run!
View looking out from Kaikoura town center. Rain was threatening as the day came to a close.
I easily found the holiday park I had booked for a powered spot for a couple of nights and got the camper van connected. As it was still early, I headed out to walk to the Kaikoura city center, not far from the holiday park. I also wanted to sort out where the loop trail to the local seal colonies started, as that was high on my list of things to do while I was here. The city center was not very crowded; apparently many of the businesses are closed on Monday, but I was able to find the beginning of the loop trail. Successful, I headed back to my home on wheels to grab a bit to eat and relax for the rest of the evening.