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We stayed in Christchurch with Stephen’s aunt and uncle Helen and Logan Cox for 3 months after arriving. It was a perfect way to begin the journey. Below is the 2-minute drill on Christchurch, NZ…
In order to do any of the things we wanted to do we needed money, which we had very little of by the time we reached this largest city in the South Island. Christchurch, population ~400,000, nestles between east coast beaches and snow-capped mountains. Seemingly unique to the rest of the world, this type of landscape is actually quite common in NZ. It is not unusual to drive for an hour between beaches, sub-tropical rainforests, alpine passes and flat grasslands. This disparity surely creates one of the world’s most unique and beautiful backdrops for our time away. |
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After both obtaining steady work (see News Briefs for work details), we set out to conquer the town and its region, Canterbury. We managed two major weekend trips: one to the Mt. Cook region and another to the Hanmer Springs thermal reserve.
Mt Cook is the tallest mountain in NZ, reaching 13,000 feet. We tripped down through lovely small towns on the way, but were ultimately turned away from the summit as a result of a nasty storm that had engulfed the peak. In addition, we suffered car troubles that prevented us from travelling too extensively at this point (this trip actually included a new battery, 3 strangers push-starting a car, and a stint of hitchhiking, but we can delve into this some other time). The snow was a treat for us once we checked into a hostel at Lake Tekapo, pulled out our strawberries and champagne and engrossed ourselves with chess and puzzles. Though a shame not to reach the peak, the trip was a nice getaway and a great way to see the inland along the Southern Alps. Hanmer Springs on the other hand was a completely successful trip. We soaked in the natural thermal reserve pools, jetted out for a quick ski day (actually our Shetland of a car in no way “jetted” up the horrendous access road), and furthered our cultural education by watching the All Blacks (NZ national team) play the Australian Wallabies in the Tri-Nations Rugby Competition. Hanmer was a nice trip and a lovely town. The rest of our time we spent living and exploring in Christchurch proper. We became attuned to New Zealand’s intense coffee culture, explored a number of exciting eateries – in particular Indian and Thai, and learned how to Salsa dance here. We also were able to explore around the Christchurch area and discovered the beautiful beaches of New Brighton and Sumner (see pictures of these amazing locals) and the winding walking/jogging trails of the port hills overlooking the city on one side and harbour on the other. We did day hikes, trail jogs, and even went surfing at New Brighton beach in the middle of the winter (you don’t see surfers sipping hot cocoa too often in the movies, but that is what we were thankfully doing after we left the near freezing water). In all, our stay in Christchurch was a great time to visit family, make good friends, eat good food, drink lovely coffee, discover a busy new city, and prepare ourselves for the outdoor adventures that awaited us as we headed to the south and west of the South Island. |
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