For our three week land trip in the South Island of New
Zealand, Mark and I decided to rent a camper van. It would give us the freedom
to drive wherever we wanted to go, stay in nature or camping areas for free
(this is called “freedom camping” here) thanks to our
CamperMate travel app,
and let us cook our own, healthy and affordable meals. We wouldn’t have to move
into and out of rooms with our bags every day and we would save money, time and
inconveniences in the long run. We plan to have our own house and office on
wheels, for three full weeks!
To avoid the steep ferry fee for cars and campers and
because we are focusing our explorations in the South Island for now, we booked
the camper in Christchurch, one of the main hubs in the southern part of the
country. To get there, however, there was a bit of traveling involved.
Mark and I left “our” comfortable Auckland flat in the early
morning of April 25
th. The 11.5 hour bus journey to Wellington
brought us along Lake Taupo and through the amazing
Tongariro National Park,
stopping often along the way for pee and food breaks. All in all, the journey
was quite pleasant, showing us a bit of the North Island: spread out villages,
loads of hills, even more cattle and sheep, and some really great scenery in
the National Park. We arrived in the capital quite late, making our way over to
an AirBnB for two comfortable nights.
We decided to spend a full day in Wellington, visiting the
War Memorial and Museum, where an exhibition about Flanders in WWI was
showcased. Since it was a grey day, we also viewed parts of the massive and
interesting Te Papa Museum on the waterfront. We returned later in the day to
wait in line and experience their brand new exhibition: “Gallipoli: The Scale
of Our War”, which is really well done. To stretch our legs, we explored the area along the harbor a bit
more and walked back through the Botanical Gardens after taking the cable car
up into the hills. Our friend Monique from
SV Heartbeat (on their long ocean
crossing from French Polynesia to Panama at this very moment) recommended a
great cocktail bar and eatery for dinner. The bar was closed on Sundays, but we
did enjoy a lovely and affordable meal in her favorite Chinese restaurant on
Cuba Street.
The following morning, it was time for our ferry crossing to
the South Island. After only 3.5 hours (with free WiFi!), we found ourselves in
the small town of Picton, having passed through the misty Marlborough Sounds.
Another five and half hour bus ride – with a short stop in Kaikoura (we didn’t
see whales) - brought us to Christchurch, where the brother from our friend
Garth (SV Heartbeat) was waiting for us. He was the perfect host during our one
night stay in his city. On our way back from camping, we plan to explore
Christchurch a bit more.
Then, on Tuesday, April 28
th, the big day
arrived. We would pick up our very own camper van! Some of you might already
know that Mark and I traveled Mexico and Central America with a truck camper
for a year in the past; a lifestyle that suited us all right back then. We are
also considering more overland adventures in a camper in the future; a camper very
similar to the one we are renting. So, for us the time we have to explore New
Zealand in this van has multiple purposes: we want to enjoy the South Island
sights, test a few things in regards to our new Wirie products, figure out the
feasibility of living long term in this size vehicle, make time to do some work
remotely from the comfort of our camper and feel free to roam around, picking
our destinations based on weather, something we are very used to doing.
:-)
So, before I bombard you with a whole array of photos
representing the lovely and incredible scenery we were able to enjoy the last
couple of days, I will stick to our trip to the South Island first. More in the
next blog, where the real adventure commences!
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| Graveyard "memorial" for Anzac Day, in Tokoroa |
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| "Talking Pole" (Maori sculpture) in the town of Tokoroa |
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| Lake Taupo through the bus window |
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| Mt. Ruapehu in Togariro National Park |
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| Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom in "Lord of the Rings"), in Tongariro NP |
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| Enjoying an ice cream in the sun during one of the bus breaks |
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| Typical North Island scenery |
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| War Memorial in Wellington |
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| Old London bus turned into army vehicle during WWI |
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| It looks a bit disgusting, but this is the "colossal squid", the biggest ocean squid ever captured and on display in Te Papa Museum, Wellington |
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| Elaborate Maori marae in Te Papa Museum |
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| Long lines to see the "Gallipoli" exhibition in Te Papa - we would come back late afternoon |
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| Skyline of Wellington, New Zealand's capital |
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| The big and interesting Te Papa Museum |
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| Let's take the cable car up into the hills - this form of transportation is also used by locals, using the multiple stops on the way up |
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| View of Wellington from the end of the cable car line |
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| Bigger than life statue at the "Gallipoli" exhibition |
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| The eye for detail during the creation of the statues is incredible! |
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| Amazing display at the "Gallipoli" exhibition |
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| Grieving nurse during WWI ("Gallipoli" exhibition) |
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| Sailing through the rainy and misty Marlborough Sounds with the ferry |
We made some longer hikes to a waterfall, over the marvelous
beach of Wharariki (reputedly the nicest beach in New Zealand!) and in the
rolling hills along the coast. A good test for my new shoes and blistery feet.
The views were once again stunning, with a surprise around some of the corners. :-) 
We finished our three
week camping adventure with a day walk in the famed Abel Tasman National Park.
We followed the coastal track for a steady hour and a half, before turning back
to our starting point. Based on its popularity, we couldn’t begin to imagine
how touristy this place would be in summer. In the evening, we soaked up the
local atmosphere of cute and mellow Mapua; a nice end to our South Island
travels.
All that was left, was the long six hour drive back to
Christchurch, New Zealand's second-biggest city and the South Island's largest. Here, we returned the camper van and enjoyed the hospitality once
again of our hosts Neil and Ollie. A quick look around the city center revealed
the sad reality of the damage earthquakes can cause in just a few fateful
minutes!
