South Island of New Zealand: East and South Coast

From Hong Kong, we took a flight via Brisbane to Christchurch. So we have definitely arrived at the other end of the world.

Christchurch itself has absolutely no charm. Since the earthquake in 2011, there are still various ruins. These dilapidated properties do not contribute to improving the cityscape. Nevertheless, we also had a highlight in Christchurch. In the evening, we attended a rugby match of the local Crusaders. Although we had no idea about the sport, we cheered along (we didn't have much choice besides the various enthusiastic fans). In terms of toughness, some soccer players could learn from rugby players. Even after hard tackles, they get up and keep playing!

After our last night in a hotel bed, we picked up our camper in Christchurch. Due to the shape of the camper, we immediately named it "Smurfmobil". After accidentally turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal several times, we slowly got used to driving on the left side of the road again. Fortunately, our camper has an automatic transmission. Shifting with the left hand would have been an additional challenge ;-)

Our route led us southward, or first inland. We found a very dry and brown landscape there. Not exactly what we expected from New Zealand. However, this steppe-like area also had its charm. The washed-out sandstone formations at Omarama (Clay Cliffs) can certainly be highlighted as a highlight of this region.

Back on the coast, we headed further south. Here we found beautiful sandy beaches. Some of these beaches were supposed to have penguins as well. Yes, you read that right, it is written in the subjunctive. Although we visited about four penguin beaches, we unfortunately didn't see any of these furry animals. But we were compensated by the numerous seals and sea lions on the rocks and beaches.

At the Moeraki Boulders, there were not lazy and fat sea lions lying on the beach for once, but several round boulders. With the blue sky in the background, the view was very nice.

Our route now led further south. We passed through a landscape that was becoming greener and greener. And the millions of sheep were also not missing here anymore. So, the typical image of New Zealand still exists.

Another highlight was the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin. On the hill, we not only had a beautiful view of the bay of Dunedin but could also admire the only castle in New Zealand. Around the castle, there was a well-maintained garden with hundreds of flowers. But the peninsula had even more beauty to offer. For example, the beach "Allans Beach".

In contrast to Christchurch, Dunedin is much more worth seeing. The city, built according to the Scottish model, had many beautiful buildings and churches. The highlight here was definitely the magnificent train station building with mosaic stones in the waiting hall. In addition, the steepest residential street in the world was an attraction (slope = 35 degrees). The cars had to gain momentum to drive up the hill!

Further down the coast, the lighthouse at Point Nugget was a feast for the eyes. The small but lovely lighthouse is perched on a cliff high above the roaring sea.

The south of the island was mainly characterized by many hills and green primeval forests. In the Catlins Forest Park, we took various short hikes through the dense forest to waterfalls.

And finally, the weather. We have been very lucky so far. We only had rain on the day of pickup and one morning. On all other days, we had sunshine and pleasant temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees. So, perfect for traveling. The nights, however, are noticeably colder. But since we have warm blankets and a small stove in our Smurfmobil, this hasn't been a problem so far. The only tricky thing about camping in New Zealand, however, are the totally stupid faucets. There are no mixed faucets here, only a separate tap for hot water and one for cold water. And they are arranged so far apart that you always have to choose between freezing and burning hands. Well, if those are all the problems...

Now we are heading up the West Coast towards the North Island. You can find out what we experience there on our travel blog.