This trip was meant to be a relaxing trip to some fantastic places that I have come through on my cycling trip to the North (yes, back then, I kept it very vague where this ominous North actually is) a few years ago. This time, I wanted to travel together with my mom to enjoy a bit of mother-daughter-quality time after having lived on the other side of the world for almost two years. The idea was to hang out together, talk, read some books, and enjoy the incredibly rough nature of the North.
The flight into Christchurch from New Plymouth was uneventful. After landing, I made a beeline towards the exit and took a taxi through the cold and dreary city to the Intercity bus terminal in the city center. As the bus was a little late, I enjoyed a coffee at a coffee shop opposite the bus stop. I expected to experience some of Canterbury’s and Otago’s scenery along the coast. However, after boarding the bus, the ride went through endless fruit plantations, flat farmland, and rather dull countryside towards the south.