We’re back in Christchurch, having completed our loop of the Southern Isle. Given all that we’ve seen and done over the past three weeks, it was rather a strange feeling ending up right back where we’d started for our flight out to Sydney. But on the upside, after three weeks of eating in hostels and burger bars, it gave us the opportunity to unleash our pent up food cravings, embarking on a 24 hour orgy of asian food that will leave local restaurants depleted of sashimi and bibimbap for many months to come.
Being “the country after China”, New Zealand always had a very tough act to follow. Initially, it felt like something of a come down, coming from the crazy, epic and chaotic rush of China to the tranquil lushness of New Zealand’s south island, which at times felt eerily like the United Kingdom. However, to bang on too much about this would be to do New Zealand a massive disservice. Once we got in to our groove here, we found New Zealand’s south island to be a beautiful place that’s filled with friendly people and many unforgettable experiences.
Don’t even think about trying to do New Zealand in a fortnight, unless you’re prepared to make some big compromises. There’s no point having all of this stunning scenery if its just whizzing past you from a coach window. Best to take at least a month out so that you can spend some quality time in the nice spots, of which there are many.
There are some countries where one visit is enough, but the not so with New Zealand. There are so many things that we didn’t get to fully explore, such as the many 4-5 day walks and Fjiordland. It’d also be a fantastic place for a cycle tour and we met a Canadian guy in Tekapo who was doing just that. We’ll be back one day, I’m sure.
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