New Zealand Road Trip Begins...

We left Christchurch in the camper and set off on our road trip. It was great to hit the road and finally start to see the beautiful scenery I had heard all about. And it is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. It looks so perfect it can't be real, almost like a painted back drop. It basically looks exactly as it does in Lord of the Rings, which of course was filmed here. I think I imagined that it would have been staged in some way for the film but its even nicer in real life.

The roads are great to drive, they are either long, straight roads between mountains or windy ones going around the mountains. Either way the views are spectacular and we take ages getting anywhere as we have to stop so many times to take it in. Our first stop was Akaroa, just south of Christchurch. It was a really nice stop, a small French-style village on the coast. It was a really pretty village and sold the most amazing fish and chips I've ever had! The weather wasn't so good though and I didn't get much sleep as I was scared the wind was going to blow the campervan over! The following morning was much nicer so we set back on the road stopping at a hill view cafe on the way where there was the most amazing view over a valley with a lake at the bottom.

Our next stop was a town called Timaru for one night before making our way to Lake Tekapo. As we came round the bend before the lake and we saw it for the first time we all gasped. I think its the most stunning place I have ever seen. There was a huge lake with turquoise waters surrounded by snow covered mountains, it was breathtaking.

We walked around the lake and spent hours sat by it, watching the sunset. That night we set up camp next to the lake so it was so lovely to wake up to the view. That day we walked up Mount John which took about 3 hours all up hill but it was worth it when we got to the top as there were amazing views of Lake Tekapo and Lake Alexdrina. The mountain was covered in snow which resulted in several snow ball fights and getting very cold along the way!

After Lake Tekapo, we went to Mount Cook. This was a beautiful drive with long straight roads so quiet that if you pass someone else you wave at each other! Mount Cook was part of the mountains that we had been seeing in the distance for several days so it was great to finally drive right to the base of it. Its the highest mountain in New Zealand and is amongst several others, all covered in snow so really pretty. We stayed right at the base right amongst the mountains, the morning view was so lovely to wake up to! That morning we got up early and went on a 5 hour walk through Hooker Valley which was an amazing walk. We crossed swing bridges over gushing rivers and climbed over rocks until reaching the base of the valley. After getting back to the camper and warming ourselves up with hot soup we set off to our next stop, Dunedin.
This is the second largest city in New Zealand, set on the East coast. We spent a day here, where we went on a slightly unsuccessful wildlife hunt. We took a beautiful drive along the coast to Otago Peninsula where we should have been able to view sealions, penguins and albatrosses, all of which decided to keep well hidden so we didn't see any. We still had a really nice day though as the sun was shining and the drive was lovely. Unfortunately, I decided to spoil the end of the day by locking the keys in the van so we were stuck until the AA managed to reach us and let us back in at a not so small cost!

Our next stop was Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand. This is where you can jump out of a plane, bungy jump, hang glide and much more. After much consideration, we decided to go on a jet boat ride through the canyon which was slightly less scary than the other options but still a lot of fun! The boat went so fast and the driver deliberately aimed for the rocks either side of the river then dodged them last minute, missing them by no more than an inch. He would also do occasional 360 degree spins which resulted in us getting very wet and cold!

So thats the adventure so far, I'm now in Milford Sound on the west coast where we're hoping to really experience the amazing scenery by taking a day trip kayaking.