Christchurch

Day 1 – Magical Botanical

We continued on our journey towards Christchurch from Hurunui, stopping at a lookout on the way before eating our breakfast cereal, passing a load of vineyards in the famous wine-making area of Waipara. We saw a sign for Torlesse Wines and decided to pull in to for a tasting just as it was opening. We were lucky enough to try all of their open wines from both the Torlesse range and the Omihi Road vintage selection, served and described at the counter by the knowledgeable Rayner family. They are a family-run winery and we quickly learnt that the woman in charge had sadly lost her husband Kym last summer, just before they were due to go for a trip around the UK and France.

We tried a 2015 Merlot SVR which is not usually open for tasting but it was today, as someone had tasted and bought a bottle the day before. We learned it was the late Kym’s favourite and these were the last bottles as it was no longer being made, so we raised our glasses for Kym. We found it so smooth and delicious that we wanted to purchase a bottle but it was a little out of our price range, so we opted instead for a bottle of Riesling. We had such a great time learning about the wines and all about their family. We even got to try a white port, a 10 year old tawny port and the signature crème de cassis, which were all divine. Unbelievably all they charged us for the whole experience was $12 each!

After stopping for petrol and coffee, we were back on the road to Christchurch, finally arriving at the Botanic Gardens. We went for a stroll through the rose garden, into the jungle-like conservatories, down to the Peacock fountain and back up along the river through the pinetum. It was a magical place (especially with it being free) and it reminded us a lot of Cambridge with punting tours on the river, and Christ’s College down the road.

We wandered through the Arts Centre, admiring the gothic architecture, to Fiddlesticks Bar and Restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner, since we had worked up a bit of an appetite walking around the gardens. The Korean fried chicken and cauliflower bites tasted incredible and went so well with our beers in the sun.

We drove to the Prebbleton Tavern just outside of Christchurch and just managed to nab the second to last freedom camping spot, happy to treat ourselves to a couple more beers (because how often do you get to camp out the back of a pub?)

Day 2 – Wham Bam City Tram

In the morning, we had a quick breakfast and coffee at Fresh Choice supermarket, next door to the pub. Taz wasn’t feeling too great but she was determined to experience the Tram Tour around the city centre, so we bought a combined ticket for both the tram and the gondola. We parked at the Botanic Gardens again and walked to the tram stop through the New Zealand Garden, which we had missed the day before, full of beautiful ferns.

We got seats on the hop on/hop off tram, our first stop being New Regent Street, a trendy little cobbled road with lots of cafes and bars – although many of these were closed on a Monday, which happened to be today. We got back on another tram to Oxford Street and the River Side Market, an indoor food mall, where we found a bar to get a drink before eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant – Monkey Bread and quesadillas! Christchurch city centre felt very small but with some cool fun areas and newly rebuilt buildings due to the impact of the devastating 2010-2011 earthquakes, which destroyed many buildings and claimed the lives of people from 20 different nationalities.

We got back on the tram for the final part of the tour before heading back to the Botanic Gardens, where we had parked for longer than allowed but escaped without a ticket. Lucky us again! We drove on to the gondola and rode up the hill, witnessing incredible views of the city and coastline, with a cloudy haze above the buildings. We walked around the summit at the top, where we could also see the water-filled extinct volcano around Quail Island.

We queued up for the complimentary Discovery Tour – a short informative indoor train ride, taking its passengers through the history of Christchurch, a city which was formed by two extinct volcanos. The tour was great but we were now both feeling overly exhausted so we drove 7 minutes away to the Naval Point freedom camping area near Lyttelton, had a snacky dinner of cheese and crackers and fell fast asleep.

Day 3 – Fever all Through the Night

We both slept terribly, Danny had come down with quite a serious fever, shaking and shivering all through the night. During the brief spell where Danny did manage to sleep, he had a very vivid fever dream that he was a human bowling ball being repetitively bowled up and down the bowling alley. With this and Taz still having a sore throat, we decided to chill out in the van all day, sleeping and watching TV, as well as calling Taz’s mum.

Day 4 – The Shroom Room

Before we descended upon the more serious South Island roads of steep mountainous inclines, we took the van into Rocky Auto for a comprehensive check over. The brake pads (our biggest concern) turned out to be absolutely fine with only about 25% wear but they did find a small leak and fixed the radiator cap so the coolant would stop bubbling when it got too hot!

While the van was in the garage, we took the bus to Lyttleton, went to The Shroom Room for a delicious veggie breakfast and then walked around the harbour town, stopping for a drink at the Fisherman’s Wharf. Next, we visited Rei Art Gallery, a truly fantastic Māori owned and operated gallery.

We took the bus back to The Tannery, a stylish shopping arcade home to boutique stores and eateries. We perused the shops and sat down for a coffee and some delicious cake. We walked back to the mechanic’s workshop and were so happy with the brilliant service we received at Rocky Auto, the guys even gave us a little lesson on basic maintenance to see us through our adventures. With this we were very happy to have a Rocky Auto sticker on the back of our van. Reunited with Misty, we drove on to Akaroa on the Banks peninsula, just south east of Christchurch, stopping at an overcast yet pretty viewpoint.