South Island: Day One

A little delayed, but here is the first post on our recent (ahem) trip to New Zealand's South Island.

For many people the South Island is the "real" New Zealand and no trip to NZ is complete without some time spent here. We had three weeks here and while we limited our plans to less than two thirds of the island, it was still not enough. The journey started with a short flight from Auckland to Christchurch - which some of you may know suffered a devastating earthquake in 2011.

Wednesday 13th February

Christchurch - 11km

We arrived with a rough itinerary, forged over the previous few weeks by studying various guide books and of course the internet. One book that proved particularly handy was the NZ Frenzy guide. Thoroughly recommend to anyone travelling across NZ, it lists many places that are not on the normal tourist route and not even on their minds. We were not going to hold ourselves to it but it was nice to have a rough plan - particularly for Amanda!

First job however was to collect the campervan. Again much research was undertaken before we chose a small independent company called CamperCo. They offered a very good deal and the vans were free of all livery - so it did not shout out "TOURIST!". In fact the deal seemed a little to good to be true; would there even be a van waiting for us there?

Thankfully, yes. A quick inspection showed it contained all we expected and was thoughtfully laid out. It was however a manual. Expected, but neither of us had driven a manual car since we left the UK. A few laps of the car park however and I was brave enough to venture out on to the road; the large blind spot over the right shoulder was a bit disconcerting though!

It did not take long to feel comfortable at the wheel and we came to love the advantage of sitting up so high. The van was also surprisingly sprightly. The next job was to head into town to get some lunch and pick up some supplies for our journey.

No easy feat. The recent earthquake has resulted in the streets of Christchurch resembling the M25 with roadworks everywhere and many closed or one-way streets.

In fact the city centre was quite eerie. Large areas have been reduced to rubble; either by the earthquake itself or controlled demolition since. Meanwhile, many condemned buildings are cordoned off as they await theirs. Chain link fences, concrete blocks and protected walkways abound. There are some positive signs however. Small gardens have sprung up across the wasteland, while temporary art exhibits attempt to lessen the feeling of devastation.

It was hard not feel a bit of a ghoul wandering the "red zone" and taking photos. Judging by the number people we saw doing just the same it would appear the red zone as become a tourist attraction in itself.

With so much of the city in ruins it is hard to imagine what it was like before. There are however some signs of recovery, with shipping containers leading it. In some places they have been used as makeshift walls or covered walkways. The heart of the city has been given a little life by a mall made out of stacked shipping containers. A handful of shops and plenty of eateries inhabit their colourful shells.

Geraldine - 150km

With not much going on in Christchurch and a packed itinerary we left Christchurch after lunch and hit the road. Our destination the sleepy little town of Geraldine; think country village with little art and crafts shops. We were to stay at the holiday park of the same name.

We arrive rather hungry and so first job is to get the dinner on. Rather than use the vans small two burner gas stove we decided to use the holiday park facilities where possible.

Amanda had promised to eat "primal" for the duration of our trip. While we broke the "rules" occasionally for the next three weeks we would be avoiding wheat, sugar and processed foods. Why!? Because I have eaten this way ever since I trialled the Paleo diet for 30 days shortly after joining a Crossfit gym. It promised to improve my energy, balance my sugar levels, improve my immune system and decrease joint pain. And in short, it worked.

Paleo / Primal

Both these diets (as in a way to eat, not a short term weight loss diet) promote eating real food and eating in a manner that reflects how our ancestors (before civilization) ate. The premise being that our bodies evolved eating certain foods and that optimum health lies in eating these same foods.

In short, the diet is simple. Eat real food. Eat lots of veg. Eat real meat, ideally free range and ethically raised and slaughtered. Eat good fats (saturated / mono saturated) and avoid bad (polyunsaturated/trans fats)fats. Avoid both sugar and wheat. If you are Paleo avoid dairy also.

But I digress!

The park itself was a pleasant affair; with some nice decorative touches. With dinner gobbled up we take a stroll around Geraldine. Very quiet with only one restaurant open. It's been a long day and with another 200+Km tomorrow we hit the hay - after setting it up of course.

It is then we discover our first (and thankfully) only problem with the van. The cooling fan on the fridge is very noisy and neither of us get a good nights sleep.