The Great Kiwi Road Trip Day 1: Christchurch to Blenheim

​It is strange travelling in a place you have called home for nearly three years. You feel less like a tourist, and more like a local, and at first glance the trip would seem to be less special. But then I have to remind myself that this is why we came here to see this amazing country, and really, we are still tourists. We will certainly get treated as such on this trip I am sure. 

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​So off we are for an epic road tip that will take us up to the tip of the South Island, and then top to bottom, the whole of the North Island. Starting in Wellington, our journey encompasses a visit with friends in Cambridge, Christmas in Whitianga with our Kiwi family, up to the northern most point in Cape Reinga, and then back down the Eastern Cape. Once complete, I will be able to confidently say we have SEEN, New Zealand. Hopefully, keeping up with this blog along the way J
So our drive to Blenheim features one that I will never tire of, and in all the driving I have done in Europe and North America, Australia and Northern Africa, there is still very few places that rival the seaside roadway past Kaikoura on the South Island’s East Coast. The coast zigs in and out along the Pacific Ocean coast, with the Kaikoura mountain ranges bracketing the west side of the road. Clear skies goad us onward, and the charming crayfish kiosks that dot the roadside are a true Kiwi classic that must be sampled. Having driven this road many times before, we were not on a sightseeing trip, and were instead able to enjoy the views as they unfolded. Still we found ourselves trying to spot the hundreds of fur seals that line the coast here.

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​After a quick stop in Kaikoura for some over-priced nourishment (the Kiwi expression “cheap as chips does not apply here as our scoop and a half of chips, flat white and berry smoothy totals $17) and then on to Blenheim to have an evening with our old friends Svatka and Vinnie, who are currently the caretakers of Copper Beach Backpackers, which is at present full of and eclectic range of working holiday visa holders working in Blenheim’s wine industry. The vibe in the hostel is one that makes me feel like I am back where I belong: travelling the world, as the lounge fills with the chatter of travel, work and the experiences so far. It is Sunday, the end of the work week for these lot, and it looks like it will be a party!

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