New Zealand: A Caravan Experience
Written By: SUSANNE LOMATCH
PAGE 15....
Christchurch
Day 26-28 (Nov. 18)
Not having a caravan to sleep in, we stayed at a cheap hotel downtown, one with a
kitchenette (old habits die hard). Christchurch is reminiscent of old and neo Europe, particularly
the centrum, which brought flashbacks of Berlin and other German cities. I shot a few landmarks and
figures, the most animated of them being the large-as-life chess match (which we’d also
seen in Sydney and Dunedin). The downtown area did have quite a few Asian takeouts
that we lusted after, having been deprived of restaurant food with spices of any sort (NZ’s
British heritage?).
My suggestion: skip central Christchurch and go directly to any of the other SI
destinations written about in this travelogue, or do what we eventually did: get out and
see the surrounding coastal areas. On our second and last day here we headed north to
Waipara (pronounced locally as Wiper-a), Canterbury’s premier Pinot growing region.
Having spent the morning at the airport shipping out two cases of wine north to
Marlborough, where they would then get re-shipped internationally to the U.S. by an
authorized NZ shipping agent, we found ourselves with only enough time for one winery
and one beach. The winery: Pegasus Bay, a consistent award winner and the most
southerly winery on our map. We were not disappointed. The 2006 Reserve Pinot was
inspirational. We also tried the Reserve Riesling, delicate and unexpectedly complex, and
among the best we’d tasted anywhere in NZ. Not surprisingly, Waipara is known for its
Rieslings.
One data point is probably not too convincing, but we’d classify Waipara
Pinots closer to those of Central Otago than to those of Martinborough, in terms of body
and character. On the way back to Christchurch we stopped at Waikuku Beach. Looking
forward to a long walk, we were cut short by a couple of suspicious looking individuals
in the empty parking lot, where we noticed broken glass. Before you start to think ‘Is
anywhere safe?’ this was only the second place we’d had to take such notice and concern
in NZ on our long journey.
Christchurch Photography.
Happy Caravanning!
(Note to readers: A static slideshow of all trip photography can be found HERE.
If you are interested in professional reprints of any of these shots, please
. For a trip map of our caravan route, please see the map below!)
