On our way to Christchurch we stayed at Amberley Beach, a beautifully quiet and dramatic place
where the fierce sea pushes piles of stones into high piles along the shore. It was drizzling, so apart from a brief walk along the beach we hid inside the van, reading books and playing cards. It was fine, but more than anything it was just a stepping stone towards our real destination.
When we reached Christchurch we didn’t head straight into the center to explore it’s popular attractions but instead skirted around the edge. First to the suburb of Papanui where we had victory at last in the Op Shops (charity shops), finally finding some good quality second hand clothes and an old bedsheet, which would eventually get pinned to the ceiling to brighten up the dull black material there. From Papanui we headed to north shore where free camping spots could be found, tucked away in lay-bys just a sandbank away from the beach. When the afternoon sun lost some of its ferocity we ventured along the beach, wandering our way to New Brighton pier where we watched the surfers catch some waves and one unlucky body boarder get repeatedly taken out by them instead.
The first place we headed to inside the city proper was the riverside market, an indoor market filled with trendy food stalls reminiscent of borough market in London - but on a smaller scale. It was by far the busiest place I’d come across in all of our travels in NZ, and as the only place I’d seen with decent looking pastries I could understand why. Later on in the day we returned to Riverside market, enticed by a mango and custard danish and a "Beesting" which we both shared. The besting was my favourite, a honey soaked brioch bun topped with honeyed almonds and filled with a cardamon cream - it was perhaps a little too sweet but I was definitely not complaining.
Next on our whirlwind tour was the Cardboard Cathedral, an ingenious placeholder for the cathedral while It’s being rebuilt after the 2011 earthquake. It was one of the first buildings to be built after the quake, but unlike the others that have risen in the city center since this one was never supposed to be permanent and is estimated it will only last for 50 years. Although it has elements of wood and steel, the cathedral is primarily built with large cardboard tubes that act as roof supports; drawing the eye up to the translucent ceiling. It was an amazing space, the cardboard strangely elegant giving a weightlessness to the building that's honestly hard to describe, it'll be easier just to show you the pictures although they don't do it justice.
We saw the trams slowly making their way around Christchurch CBD we didn’t hop on one, no longer used for public transport but for an organised tour we decided we’d rather walk our way around the small city. Same for the punts, we enjoyed seeing the Edwardian style boat-shed and equally dressed up punters but didn’t feel a need to go, having had our fill of punting in the past.
Despite the young age of the city, Christs college in Christchurch wouldn’t be too out of place if it was transported to our once home of Cambridge, England. Built in1856 in the Neo-gothic style it seems it should clash with the modernity of the rest of the city with its high rises and vibrant street art, but it doesn't. Christchurch, unlike many NZ towns we've visited, seems settled into its own identity that encompasses the old and the new together, seamlessly blending them.
Deciding against another night sleeping by the city we instead headed through the mountain tunnel towards the port town of Lyttleton. It was entirely more industrial than we’d expected with huge cargo ships and cruise liners lining the wharf, the free camping spot we’d found was a little more peaceful however, set away from the town itself near to the boat ramp for private boaters.
We’d luckily managed to arrived in time for the Sunday farmers market the next day, a very hipster-y affair with organic produce and artisanal bread. Contrary to our initial assumptions the produce at the market was far cheaper than anything we’d be able to buy at the supermarkets, especially the vegetables which we felt we got a very good deal on. The rest of the town was surprisingly cute compared to its industrial setting, with boutique shops and cosy cafes. We didn’t stay for long, instead heading off to our next destination of Akaroa but I would visit again if I was in the area.
The drive to Akaroa was stunning, a winding mountainous road with glimpses of the stunning turqouise blue sea far below led down to a broad flat plateaux bordered by towering hills in the distance, before finally climbing back up and down to the bay. Akaroa is a French style town famous for its cheese and set in one of the most picturesque locations. We spent two happy days soaking in the scenery, interspersed with short walks around the town and dips in the sea.
We felt bad for not doing more while we were here, there were boat rides to go on and long cliff top walks but we just couldn’t be bothered... we felt burnt out. I’m really not trying to complain, we are lucky to be able to travel how we do, but sometimes being constantly on the road is too much. This was exacerbated by the slightly hostile free camping restrictions we’d encountered, with short limits on how many nights we could stay in a certain area not on just the individual camps themselves - it seemed that as soon as we arrived at a spot we would have the immediately start thinking of where we’d go next - it was exhausting. Maybe, it was time to think about working again, if only to have somewhere to settle down for a while.
Trip date Jan 2023
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