South Island Road Trip Day 1 - Christchurch to Okarito via Arthur's Pass and Hokitika

We pick our little camper van from Jucy. It is pretty compact and has a kitchen in the boot. 

Christchurch

Owen, A friend from home, has flown over to New Zealand and we have hired a little camper van for a two week road trip on the South Island. But first we have a day to explore Christchurch

Wellington to Picton to Christchurch

There is bit of a stressful start to the trip from Wellington to Christchurch. I am booked on the 9am ferry, for the three hours crossing to Picton where I am due to catch the 12.45 (Naked) bus to Christchurch. There is a shuttle bus from Wellington Station to the ferry terminal and I arrive in good time and join the assembled travellers wait for its arrival. Only it doesn’t arrive, a man eventually arrives to tell us that that it has broken-down and they are looking for a replacement, but not to worry, the ferry will not leave without us. The minutes tick by and I get more and more anxious. My chilled out travelling ways of Asia seem to have been replaced by the stress of the western world. As we approach 9am and the ferry’s scheduled departure time more and more people are giving up on the bus and jumping into taxis. I eventually give in and join some others in a taxi. I feel better once I am on the ferry but it leaves about an hour late and so for the whole crossing I am anxious that the bus will go without me and I will be stuck in Picton for the night when I have a bed booked in Christchurch. I needn’t have worried as the bus waited for the ferry as otherwise it would have left empty and I finally arrive in Christchurch at 6pm.

The crossing is pretty uneventful, but the views going into Picton are worth braving the windy, miss-named Sundeck. And the highlight of the drive down to Kaikoura is the bus driver spotting some seals sunbathing on the rocks and stopping the bus to let us all hop off and see them.