CS

It feels like quite a while ago that we left Queenstown, and I guess it has been now. It’s taken a while for us to write up about our trip which took us from the place we set up home in for eight months up to Christchurch, over to Sydney and all the way up to Cairns. What a journey it was.

We were sad to leave Queenstown, but we knew we had to say bye at some point. It’s a difficult place to set up home, so we are proud of what we achieved there in such little time. On January 26th we said our goodbyes to the people we had met there and made our way north, up to Christchurch, in the camper van we rented on a one way deal. We were heading for the Weaver’s house, in what we discovered to be the beautiful Governor’s Bay just outside of the city. Before that, we were heading to Mount Cook using the beautiful roads that lead to the highest mountain in New Zealand. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking here. It was beautiful. The trek to the mountain was hot and tiring but rewarding, as the photos below try to convey, although just can’t do the view justice.

As we drove away the sun was setting which made the whole place feel pretty magic. We knew we needed to find somewhere to stop overnight though so we pressed onto the freedom camping spot we’d scouted out. It was dark when we arrived, plenty of camper vans already there, so we creeped in and set up camp for the night.

When we woke in the morning we had the most amazing view over Lake Tekapo. We knew it would be rude not to go for a swim, so went straight down to the water. Not as cold as expected, but the view towards Mount Cook was epic. The best place I’ve ever been swimming.

We carried on up towards the Weaver’s place, knowing that the road was pretty windy in places, trying to make it in good time for the Christchurch beer festival. Once we arrived, Gail was waiting for us and made us feel instantly at home. What a place they live in, I can see exactly why they decided to move there. Their house is perfect and is really homely, the big balcony with the BBQ is my favourite part! We sat there for ages some nights..

While we were there we visited Akaroa and Kaikoura, both very beautiful in their own ways. Akaroa is very picturesque and we saw some of the rarest dolphins in the world there. The penguins there are amazing too and we witnessed lots of baby chicks and TWO yellow eyed penguins which even the guide was amazed about; they’re pretty rare and it’s the furthest north they ever come! Such an incredible spectacle to witness in the wild.

Whilst in Kaikoura we did some whale watching, and we were not disappointed!! Watching a sperm whale flick its tail and begin its dive down to the depths of the ocean is probably something I’ll never see again. I was so happy to see Orcas, they are beautiful and they swam alongside the boat – just wow. And as if that wasn’t enough we saw more dolphins, this time flipping out of the water. We couldn’t have asked for more.

Exploring Christchurch was an interesting experience. Some of the views around the city are breathtaking. The aftermath of the earthquake is still visible, especially in the cathedral area, but they are doing a fantastic job of repairing and strengthening the city. It’s a great place with lots of character. A massive thanks to the Weavers for having us and being such great hosts!

And that was just the start of our trip..