As a guest blogger for
YHA (Youth Hostel Association) in New Zealand, I was asked if I could accompany a competition winner on a two day tour of my home from home in Christchurch. The winner (I was told) was a blogger from Argentina who won a 10 day trip to New Zealand and would take part in various activities around this wonderful country and blog about her experiences as part of a big blogger exchange.
Having lived, travelled and worked here for five months now, I know my new home relatively well and was delighted at the opportunity to hang out with a fellow blogger and see it again as a tourist through her eyes.
On Thursday morning, I took the bus into the city centre to meet
Rosario at her
YHA Rolleston House hostal in the perfectly central location by the Canterbury Museum and Botanical Gardens, we wasted no time in borrowing some vintage bikes from the hostel's shed to ride around this glorious city.
Christchurch has its very own Hagley Park which is what Central Park is to New York - it's so vast, I'd never actually walked through it, only around at times to get where I needed to go. On a bicycle however, it was completely accomplishable and so beautiful with the sun shining and the autumn leaves beneath the bike's wheels.
We would stop here and there and I would point out to Rosario certain landmarks and explain the process of areas being re-built from the destruction from the 2011 earthquake which has left this city in a beautiful mess. Beautiful due to the wonderful sense of community and new projects, eats, shops and to do's popping up in empty spaces all over - see more on this from the hardworking, cool kids over at
Gap Fillers.
Later, I took Rosario to my favourite pizza spot in Christchurch's re-start mall, (where I also work part time at Kathmandu) here we feasted on
BASE woodfired pizza and shared a rocky road cake from the local bakery house.
That afternoon, we were lucky enough to go
punting down the River Avon. With blankets and hot water bottles provided and our very own punter by the name of Fabien - off we set down the beautiful river through Christchurch's Botanical Gardens. It was the most peace I've found during my whole five months of travelling New Zealand and was dreadfully romantic - even for friends. We joked when our ride came to an end that we would stay in the boat, blankets too and just have an afternoon siesta - instead we warmed up further with coffee and biscuits at the
Boat Shed Cafe next door.
Early the next day, we boarded a
shuttle bus with the cheeriest of drivers and took the hour and a half
ride through the mountains over to Akaroa, the well known and loved harbour town, French inspired and full of charm. Here, we boarded a boat with
Black Cat Cruises to go out and see Hector Dolphins, the smallest and rarest dolphin in the world. My tummy was so full of excitement, I was actually a little sea sick but I didn't let it stop me enjoying the spectacular views and moments we encountered with the dolphin - both a mother and her baby and an acrobatic sort who somersaulted out of the water several times. It felt so magical. Dolphins have a way of making you feel this way I know, but also the beautiful, sometimes breathtaking setting that Akaroa creates for this experience. One myself and Rosario will both never forget.
For those who would like to win a trip to Akaroa yourselves, enter Black Cat Cruises competition here.
We went on that evening to celebrate our new found friendship and toast to our whirlwind adventures over the last few days in none other than the Fox & The Ferret pub, a favourite with locals and now with British and Argentinians.
Thanks to Brindi at
YHA New Zealand for thinking of me to be a part of this wonderful experience. See more fantastic photos and read about the trip from Rosario's perspective over on her blog
At Blue Heaven.
