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Photo Log

Christchurch and The Banks Peninsula Photo Log

February 20-23, 2015

Road Trip Journal – February 20, 2015 (Kaikoura to Christchurch)

  • Kaikoura –> Christchurch
  • South Brighton Holiday Park $45/night tent site. Facilities in temporary buildings. 20 min drive to downtown Christchurch. 100Mb free wifi for each adult. Good trampoline.
  • Cantebury Museum FREE. Definitely recommend. Good, if random, exhibits. B’s favorite – tarantulas. Discovery area (geared for kids) $2/each. Maori, European, Kiwi, Kitsch, T-shirts, MUCH MORE.
  • Botanic Gardens FREE. Beautiful park with fountains, trails, a river, and of course plants and flowers.
Our first afternoon in Christchurch we visited the Cantebury Museum and The Botanic Gardens
We love our California Redwoods
Punting on the Avon
We didn’t stay in Christchurch, but rather we camped at South Brighton Holiday Park, which is out on a spit that has an estuary on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. This photo was taken when we made a brief stop to check out the beach on the ocean side.

Road Trip Journal – February 21, 2015 (Christchurch to Banks Peninsula)

  • C1 Espresso for brunch. Good food and bustling vibe, but expensive. Sparkline water fountain. Toilets behind secret bookshelves. Fries delivered by tube system.
  • Cathedral Square. Street performer Sport Suzie. Arguing zealots Christians x 2 vs. non-believing wizard.
  • Victoria Square – Cricket World Cup on big screen. 
  • Beers @ Pomeroy’s Brewery Inn. Good beer & atmosphere
  • Christchurch –> Banks Peninsula
  • Little River Campground $50/tent site. Outdoor kitchen facilities, composting toilets, modest shower facilities, but plenty of hot water. Campsite by the creek. Playground and trampoline. ”Free wifi.”
Our second day in Christchurch started with brunch at a trendy cafe. See the tube on the wall on the left side of this photo? They deliver fries to your table through those tubes.
I do love my flat whites.
A lot of Christchurch looks like this as they continue to rebuild
In a lot of spaces they have temporary exhibits or in this case, a garden.
Cathedral Square
Just a little cricket on the big screen at Victoria Square
They do have a sense of humor in Christchurch
We ended the afternoon in a comfy corner in a pub
Christchurch to Little River Campground out on the Banks Peninsula
Our campsite by the creek at Little River Campground on The Banks Peninsula. We had bad luck with weather our two days there, otherwise this would have been a great campground.

Road Trip Journal – February 22, 2015 (Banks Peninsula)

  • Day trip to Akaroa
  • Cold & rainy and foggy
  • Akaroa – cute, French town. 
  • Drove to Hinewai Reserve – didn’t stay – to damp and cold to tramp.
  • Spent time at By the Green Cafe. Played cards, drank coffee & smoothies.
  • Dinner at Hilltop Tavern (between Akaroa & Little River). Nice location but fog ruined view of harbor. Mediocre food. Good beer. Live accordian music. Pool table. Wood-fired pizza – thin crispy crust, too much BBQ sauce. 
  • D/B/A – Creek walk back at camp.
Day trip to Akaroa
The harbor town of Akaroa. We were there on cruise ship day, seriously.
Still coughing
Brenden and I went for a creek walk, and I must have had the camera on a weird setting, because all of the photos I took are out of focus. I had to include this one anyway, because who doesn’t love a random disco ball hanging from a tree by a creek.

Road Trip Journal – February 23, 2015 (Banks Peninsula to Fairlie)

  • Packed up a wet campsite and drove to Fairlie
  • To be continued…

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