Christchurch and Car Rentals

Christchurch is in the northern part of the south island of New Zealand. It is a larger city that Queenstown, but still has a mountain range as a backdrop in the distance. Its also a city with a gondola which takes you from the ground up to the top of a mountain, but not nearly as cool as the one in Queenstown. We rented a car in Christchurch, which besides for the driving on the other side of the road and Kevin's continuing to hit the windshield wiper when trying to hit the turn signal, driving was a relatively easy task. In Christchurch we also stayed at a Bed and Breakfast, which was another change of pace. At first I was a little nervous about this endeavor, but it ended up being the highlight of the Christchurch "experience."

Christchurch is the oldest town in New Zealand, so instead of staying in a high rise hotel, its much better to get a homely feel like we did. The cathedral is the symbol for the town, and makes up the epicenter of Christchurch. We even did the staircase walk to the top, all 134 steps. Our B&B was near the center of town, and they cooked some very delicious breakfast and served wine each day, both major pluses. I told Kevin that if there was ever a time where someone asked for a recommendation on how to do New Zealand right, staying at the Orari B&B in Christchurch would be near the top. After getting the car, checking in, and getting our barrings in the town, we did some driving and discovering and topped the night off with a church service, some $10 steaks, and a few dollars in machines at the Casino. Quite an eventful mix for a Sunday night in Christchurch.

On Monday we drove to Akaroa, a small French colony about an hour South. It was a very cool drive, filled with small roads passing farms, animals, mountains, the ocean, beautiful landscapes and grass which went for miles. The town of Akaroka had a French feel to it, right on the water. We were able to grab some pastries from a local bakery and walk around the town and harbor. In the most "New Zealand" moment of our trip, as we winded up a two lane road on a mountain, we were greeted by about 100 cattle in the road. The day was highlighted by our quest to find a random Castle which looked very cool in one of the travel guides. After leaving the gondola, we asked for directions from about four different people and argued about where it could be. Finally after a drive up a spirally mountainside we find our destination. An interesting castle turned restaurant. The night was relatively uneventful with dinner at an Italian restaurant, and drinks with a crazy Australian and crazy New Zealander at a hole-in-the-wall bar.

Instead of participating in a high priced wine tour, which probably weren't even that fun, we decided to do our own and drive through the Waipara wine Country. The wine store in Queenstown had recommended that we see the Pegasus Bay winery, so we decided that would be a good spot for lunch. Our trip ended up lasting all day, as we ended up making our way to several different wineries. Only one, the most "renown", made us pay, so it ended up being a relatively cheap endeavor. We were actually most disappointed by Pegasus Bay, and ended up eating at a different winery who even gave us a free tour of the facility. It became sort of a running theme that we wanted to try grapes that were being grown in the local fields. We even came close to sneaking in and stealing them. Eventually a very nice lady went out and grabbed us some Pinot Noir grapes. Best grapes ever.

We capped off Christchurch with some descent, which I say being very kind, Mexican food, and headed off the next morning verrry early (about 4 am) to Brisbane and immediately on to Cairns.