February 24 to March 11, 2020
During the preparation of our round-the-world trip, we had New Zealand on our list. Then, we changed our plans to stay longer in Indonesia but our round-the-world ticket made it an obligation for us to land in Christchurch and leave out of Auckland. So we might as well spend some time there (and Indonesia did not meet expectations!). Coralie used to spend her summer vacation as a child on the North Island in campervan and we wanted to discover a new place as a family: we would stay for 2 weeks in the South Island.
We had booked 6 nights in Christchurch in a lovely house owned by a Canadian family. It felt great to have our own car and to be “home”, baking, cooking, making applesauce with apples freshly picked in the backyard (like in the old days in Quebec).
Christchurch is artsy and has heaps to offer. For example, we spent 2 afternoons at the amazing public library in the "imagination" corner dedicated to young children and teenagers (slide, legos, books in many languages, costumes nook, but also guitar in self-service, screens for video games).
The girls also had fun at the Margaret Mahy playground where they made their first steps on ziplines (we found them in all playgrounds across NZ and even in Sydney).
Salah and I even went on a date night as our host recommended us a babysitter (from Ohio… haha small world). It was as great as it was unexpected! We went for a cocktail and a nice dinner with lamb of course. It was much overdue and we really enjoyed a 1-on-1 night.
We visited farmers market that we had missed a lot (didn’t see any during our stay in Bali)! We tried the maori bread, amongst other things.
Around Christchurch
The city still has scars from the devastating 2011 earthquake with numerous contemporary buildings and construction sites as well as a heavily damaged church on the brink of being repaired.
Today
Before the earthquake
We also went to Akaroa, a colony founded by the French in 1840 and sold back to the British in 1850 (but French settlers stayed). Street names, French flags, and a commemorating plaque inaugurated by Rocard in 1995 are there to remind visitors of the city’s origins.
After Christchurch, we were going around the island for 8 days in a Wendekreisen campervan (CV). Unfortunately, our assigned CV came back from the previous rental with a mechanical problem. So we ended up with a complimentary 7-seater van and were told that once fixed, the CV would be brought to us so we should just carry on with our trip.
Here is our itinerary:
Well, the CV could not get fixed in time so we ended up driving and airbnb’ing the whole time. Not quite what we had in mind but it worked out. This RTW trip definitely teaches us to be flexible and feeling cool about the unexcepted. And that’s part of why we are doing this trip, to be outside our comfort zone.
New Zealand is all about landscapes and pictures speak better than words so enjoy...
Oamaru and its blue penguin colony
Fish'n'chips on the beach... bliss!
Slope point, the southernmost point of NZ (and the most windy?)
Te Anau and Doubtful Sound (fjord)
Queenstown
View from our apartment
Luge rides for Naema's birthday
Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo
Mount Cook (highest mountain in NZ, 3724m)
So much beauty...
Encounters
After this journey, we were heading off to Auckland on the North island.
The serenity and peacefulness reigning in New Zealand were welcome after 5 months in bustling Asia. We were mesmerized by the grand landscapes, from volcanoes to great bays, from hills to plains. New Zealand counts 30 million sheep, that's why they were everywhere!
People are very friendly and laid back. We made great encounters including a couple from Quebec in Queenstown close to a crêpe street cart held by a French couple.
We were so glad we had planned a pause in the Pacific before going to South America! We wished we had stayed longer in NZ actually. While we were there, the 1st covid19 case was confirmed in Auckland. The net was going to close in on us pretty soon.
But first, we were off to Sydney, Australia... we will come back NZ!
Coralie
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