Fun Sized Escapades: Adventures Down Under - Part 6 - Christchurch to Lake Pukaki/Mt. Cook National Park

We made it to Christchurch, New Zealand just before midnight local time and after passing through passport control and customs, we walked across the street to our hotel. Our bodies were still on Uluru time so took a bit to go to sleep.

We had an 11am appointment the following morning to pick up our Britz campervan. Thank you to the Sudima hotel employee that graciously dropped us off there rather than us walking almost 2km with roller bags.

It was very chilly, rainy, and super windy when we had the tour and review of our campervan. After loading up, we worked together to make it to the grocery store to stock up for the journey. Remember, they drive on the left here!

the goods

back half of van (table, bed, bathroom, kitchen)

bathroom

front half (dining, storage, another bed lowers, driving area)

bed that lowers from the ceiling

and we're off!

Campervan tips - our rental came with linens, towels, most dishes for cooking and eating. I would recommend bringing or purchasing the following items to make your journey easier.

paper towels (we stuck a sheet between each plate and cup to keep them from rattling us crazy as we drove)
bags for your trash so you can empty every few days
dish soap and bathroom soap
washcloth if you need one (dish and bath towels were included)
kitchen sponge
spices - grab from the plane silverware packet
sugar - grab some little packets from a coffee shop or on the plane
laundry soap - you could pick up some at many holiday park reception areas

One neat thing at campsite group kitchens is that they had a spot for free food. I picked up some butter at the first site and we left our extra supplies at the last camp before we returned the campervan. It was great to cook in there too so you have a bigger space to prep and cook, plus you don't use up the water as fast in your vehicle.

After we loaded up the fridge, we hit the road to our first campsite on Lake Pukaki. Along the way we soaked in some beautiful scenery, saw some horrible drivers, and laughed at a sign that said "horse poo $3".

Our Kiwi friends suggested that we stop at the church on Lake Tekapo, which we did (no photos inside).

The water color is incredible, even on a cloudy day. Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki makes you want to keep taking photos of every 100 feet since it is so gorgeous.

modeling the campervan :)

We made it to Glentanner Holiday Park where we spent two nights. If you campervan, I would highly recommend the place as it is a very nice and beautiful spot. Once we set up camp, we hiked down to the lake and then I cooked our first camp meal - steak!

first campsite

looking towards Mt Cook

self portrait

first meal

Showering at holiday parks hearkened me back to summer camp days were you loaded up a bag with your towel, toiletries, change of clothes, and oh yes shower shoes. I was thankful for a hot shower after all the hiking. Even though it was summer there, it was chilly in some regions. We slept pretty well in our van and woke up the next morning recharged and ready to hike.

The next morning we drove up to Mt Cook National Park and along the way we stopped at this one gorgeous spot with a billion flowers [and ahem, bees] for photos.

smiling while freaking out with all the bees at my feet

Mt Cook is breathtaking

Our first hike of the day was a relatively short one to Tasman Lake.

Tasman Lake

tiny yellow boat compared to ice berg

Next up was the steep Red Tarns Track. It had a bunch of stairs to reach the viewpoint, but the views were great and we were entertained for quite some time by three kea birds and some guys from Ireland.

the "trail" aka stairs

looking down on Mt Cook Village

one of the tarns

cheeky keas

made it back!

Our last hike of the day was on the Kea Point Track. Glad we did the Red Tarns one first because this one was much more gentle. The visitor center was pretty good if you have a chance to visit.