Christchurch

After a long journey we finally arrived in a hot New Zealand with temperatures above 30 degrees at 8pm! A quick visit through 'something to declare' so they could check our tent and walking shoes, which were squeaky clean, so didn't need disinfected and we were on our way by bus into the city. A late night by the time we were checked into the hostel so ready for a good nights sleep after 36 hours of travel. With a mixture of jetlag and someone who liked to call out in his sleep, we were not as refreshed as we had hoped, as we had decisions to make on what we are going to do for the next 2 months. We had a wander around the city centre and couldn't believe the huge amount of damage that previous earthquakes had caused. It was quite unrecognisable from when we were last here 12 years ago but talking to people they have a positive attitude and are using it to change the face of their city to suit modern life. We picked up a relocation car that we have to get to Nelson in 2 days and were really excited to be under our own steam for the first time since travelling, rather than rely on public transport. It is amazing scenery and clean air - a wonderful change to the busy cities we've been in recently. Who'd of thought that shopping for food could have been so exciting! Found a quiet camp ground for the night which happened to be called 'Balmoral'!Read more