Capital to Christchurch

I started travelling at 7:00 Thursday morning, and wouldn't stop for the next 12 hours.

I left Nomads at 7:00 a.m. and headed for the train station to catch the free shuttle to the ferry terminal. My ferry wasn't set to leave until 8:30, but boarding was a half hour before hand, and first I had to get there.

My timing was impeccable, as the call for boarding came mere seconds after I collected my ticket.

Kaitaki, Maori for "Challenger" was the name of my ferry (there are three ships in total that do the trek: Arahura, "Pathway to Dawn" and Aratere, "Quick Path" are the other two), and it was a lot nicer than I expected. I've never been on a cruise ship, but I'm pretty sure they can't be much different.

The ferry had two lounges, one for regular passengers and one for business class, with rows of comfortable recliners in the centre, and couches and chairs set up next to the windows. There are no seats outdoors, but passengers can walk around outside on just about every level, including the very top. The ferry also has two restaurants, a bar and a cinema onboard to entertain passengers throughout the 3.5 hour journey.

I stuck to a recliner for most of my journey, taking breaks every half-hour or so to go for a walk outside. It was cool but not unpleasant, and the scenery was better than any movie.

We docked in Picton, a coastal fishing village and sailor's paradise, just before noon. I grabbed my bag from the terminal and cracked open my book for the hour-long wait before my InterCity bus showed up to take me to Christchurch.

The bus ride was truly amazing. I know I haven't yet seen what the South Island really has to offer in terms of scenery, but this was a perfect introduction (kind of like seeing the Alberta foothills before heading to the Rockies... if you go to BC first, the foothills aren't as impressive!).

The road wound first through the mountainside, and then we hit the coast for the bulk of the rest of the journey. Mountains to the right, and a beautiful turquoise sea to the left. My body was begging me for a nap, but my mind and my eyes were unwilling to miss a single second.

I was dropped in the centre of Christchurch at 7:00 p.m., and was happy to notice that my hostel was on the same street as the bus station. This meant I wouldn't have to fish through my bag in the dark for my Fodor's guide and a map. I found the hostel quite easily, dropped my bags and headed for the lounge. Email was the first priority, then it was a veg-fest on the couch to watch the last hour of 8 Mile.

Exhausted, I headed to bed at about 9:30, and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


Friday, April 20

My early night meant I was up at about 7:30, but a look out the window told me there was no way I was going back to sleep. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, and not a cloud in sight.

I showered and dressed (totally missing my 77 11th Ave. shower right now. The ones at the hostel are WEAK!) and after checking in with the 'rents at home, grabbed a cup of coffee at the cafe across the street while I scanned my guide for things to do. The most promising option looked like Cathedral Square, the heart of Christchurch.

The Christchurch Jazz Festival was also on in the downtown core, and when I reached the square there were buskers and singers at every turn, along with an open market. I sat and watched a couple acts, then went to check out Christchurch Cathedral, obviously the highlight of the square. The Gothic-style cathedral is gorgeous, but not unlike many I've seen before, so I didn't spend too much time checking it out.

I grabbed a late lunch at one of the market's food stands, and then went to browse the browse the stalls. As usual, there was little room left in my bag for souvenirs, but I did pick up a few items for the fam that basically went directly from the shopping bag to the post.

I took a walk around the city's downtown grid, and was shocked at how fast the afternoon had gone. It was already almost 5:00, and I was set to meet Helen (a Welsh girl I met on the Bay of Islands tour) at 6:30 for that evening's rugby game. Christchurch is a rugby-crazy town, at that night's Crusaders game against the rival Hurricanes was a big one, as a win would secure them a home advantage in the semi-finals. Helen, who is rugby-crazy herself, had scored us some cheap-seat tickets in the "Tui Stand" (that's the beer I was talking about before), basically where all the rif-raf go to enjoy the game (and the drink).

I'd been warned that the outdoor stadium becomes quite cool in the evenings, so I went home a little early to layer on some extra clothes.

On the way back to the hostel that most RANDOM thing happened. I was standing at an intersection, waiting for the light to change, and casually glanced over at the person waiting beside me. After a second I realised it was Sarah, a girl from Sheffield, England who had been on my Australia tour in January! My exclamation of "HOLY SHIT!" caught her attention, and as soon as she recognised me the gave me the hugest hug. She was on her way to meet a friend at the cafe across from my hostel, so I walked with her, the two of us chatting away about what we'd been up to since the tour, and who we'd kept in touch with. It was the craziest thing! Small world, definitely.

Helen was waiting in my hostel lobby, as promised, at 6:30. It was great to see her again, and for the second time that day I felt the relief of seeing a familiar face.

We headed for the bus stop, chatting away about everything we'd done since we'd left each other in Auckland right before I left for Oz. Conversation is quite easy with Helen, mainly because she does 90 % of the talking. That girl can talk your ear right off if given the chance, but her Welsh accent is fantastic and her stories always hilarious, so I didn't mind being the silent one for once (though I do often have to remind her to take a breath!).

The game was SO much fun, and though we were in the cheap-seats, Helen had managed to score us tickets on the very front row, right on the field. We had players flying by or near us the whole night, it was amazing!

Every Canterbury Crusaders game opens with a very overly dramatic spectacle. Eight knights on horseback, brandishing swords and wearing robes of the team colours, red and black, ride around the field to REALLY dramatic music (Helen described it more as a dirge, which I thought was hilarious when I actually heard it). They stopped every few metres and pointed their swords at the crowd, demanding a cheer before heading off to the next section. There's also a 50 metre high sword brought out into the middle of the field, and firecrackers explode in a thunderous roar as the players make their way to the field. It was all a bit over-the-top, but highly entertaining.

I didn't really know what was going on throughout most of the game, but I do know that we won! Even though I was a little lost, with Helen's explanations and the "colourful" commentary provided by the hard core fans surrounding us, it was hard not to have a good time.

After the game we went downtown to meet Helen's friend Monica and her German friend (forget her name) at their favourite local bar. Monica is also Canadian, from just outside North Bay. She's studying at Canterbury University's teacher's college, and plans to stay and teach in the country after she finishes in about six weeks time.

We had a few drinks, but didn't get too carried away. I was back at the hostel by the decent hour of about 12:30, and went straight to bed.


Saturday, April 21

It being the weekend and me being on vacation, I basically spent Saturday morning in bed. For some reason I had no real desire to get up and check out the sights, and it was probably close to noon before I surfaced from the hostel.

I headed to the city centre again, got a few housekeeping items taken care of (Internet, banking, post etc.), and then decided to hop on the tramway and take a tour of the rest of the city centre. I'd been tempted to go for the tour the day before, but the ride was about $12 and I didn't really see the value, especially since the distance it covered was more than walkable in an afternoon.

But the evening before I'd been chatting to a mother and daughter I was sharing my room with, and they offered me a pair of free tickets for the tram, and another free pair for the Christchurch Gondola. She'd acquired the tickets for free herself as a promotion, as she owns the YHA in Dunedin. She and her daughter were only in town for one day, and hadn't been able to use them, so she kindly passed them along.

The tram was a short ride, but in my lazy state proved to be perfect activity, especially since the driver's commentary was nothing short of hilarious. We passed by Victoria Square, the old campus of Canterbury University, and ended back in Cathedral Square, which was buzzing with just as much activity as it had been the day before.

I browsed through the market for a while again, got myself a late sushi lunch and ate it down by the river. Then it was back to the hostel to get ready to head out to Helen's place. She was having a house party that night to introduce me to a bunch of her friends, and I told her I'd go early to help her set up.

Showered, dressed, out the door to the bus by 5:30.

I got to her place at a quarter to nine. YEA. What an ordeal! I had told Helen which bus I was going to be on, and approximately when it was going to arrive at her stop. She said she'd be at the stop waiting for me, and not to get off until I saw her... so I didn't. And then it got to the end of the route and the bus driver kindly told me to get the hell off the bus. Crap. Then I caught the bus back in the other direction, and wound up back in the city.

Apparently Helen had lost track of time, and realising by bus was about to arrive, bolted to the stop only to see the bus having just passed by. I still don't have a mobile, so she had no idea how to get a hold of me, and only later realised she'd mixed up two numbers in her mobile number when she'd given it to me (which I'd discovered after trying to call her 60 times!!).

Anyway, through the magic of Facebook, I eventually made it, and had a great time. Helen has some really awesome friends, and since Canterbury is such a well-known university, it attracts students from around the world. That night there were two Canadians (myself and Monica), three French people, one German, two Americans, one Welsh, one English and two Kiwis!

Helen had planned the night to just be a house party, but everyone was in the mood for a dance, so just before midnight we decided to catch a cab to the city and see where the night took us.

Holy crap, we got in at 5:30 in the morning, not a sober soul among us. I crashed at Helen's, not having the wits to find my hostel at that point. I regained consciousness somewhere around 10:00 a.m., realised I was on a floor, using a boot as a pillow, and decided to sneak back to my hostel, where I crawled into bed and didn't surface again until 4:00.

Helen met me back at my hostel at 4:30, as I'd told her how I'd scored free tickets to the gondola ride, and had asked if she wanted to come. Each gripping a bottle of Poweraid, and most likely looking about as good as we felt, we hopped on the bus.

The gondola was a great ride, and the fresh air definitely helped ease the hangover. We walked around at the top for a while, then decided the only option for dinner was a nice greasy pile of McDonald's, and returned to the city.

After dinner I said goodbye to Helen, telling her I'd give her a shout when I returned to Christchurch at the end of my Magic Bus tour. She kindly offered for me to spend the night at her place so as to save me the bill for the hostel. I'll only be there for a night, travelling through on my way back up to Auckland, but it'll be nice to see her again.

Back at the hostel I had a quick shower, packed and was promptly in bed by about 8:30, ready to head out to Greymouth on the TransAlpine train the next day, making the start of my South Island tour.