Christchurch, Akaroa, Castle Hill and Arthur's Pass

We then made our way to Christchurch after Edoras. In Christchurch, there were surprisingly many construction sites, as the effects of the heavy earthquake six years ago are still clearly visible. In addition to the many construction sites, there were also some shops that were not in normal buildings, but in containers. Despite the many construction sites, Christchurch is a very beautiful city with lots of street art and many free campsites.

A little outside (about 60 minutes drive) there was a place called Akaroa, located on a peninsula that was formed by volcanic rock some time ago and is surrounded by a marine reserve. There, we should have had the opportunity to see some marine animals (dolphins, whales, penguins, etc.). So, of course, Lena and I drove there. However, it turned out that the mentioned marine animals can only be seen from a ferry for $70. Not with us, we naturally thought and tried to go to a place where we could see the marine animals for free. Unfortunately, the road there was first very steep and then not really suitable for our 22-year-old car. So we went back up the really steep road. Our brakes didn't think that was cool at all, and so they started to smoke and stink at the end of the mountain. Luckily, they still worked.

From Christchurch, we then drove to a place called Castle Hill (you can see why it's called that in the pictures). And from there, we drove a little way along Arthur's Pass (a connection between the West and East Coast of New Zealand, through the New Zealand Alps). There was also a very nice free campsite at Arthur's Pass that we thrifty people naturally used. However, it got very, very, very cold at night, so cold that Lena even froze in her super down sleeping bag. That's why we drove to a warmer place as fast as possible the next morning.