Our first week on the South Island

Sorry for the minor hiatus. Ever since Andy and I flew into Christchurch on the South Island a week ago, we have slowed our pace considerably and have been spending much of our time researching, as well as resting and recharging our batteries after 3.5 weeks of nonstop travel. We have also tried couch surfing for the first time! For those who don't know, couchsurfing.org is a network that connects travelers with willing locals with a room or couch to spare. It is a great way for both host and traveler to meet new people from around the world. Our host, Paul, was gracious enough to allow us to stay with him for five days. During that time, we also met other surfers from England, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

Paul's house

We had a good experience there and Paul was a great host. He was also kind enough to help us in purchasing our own car! In New Zealand, it is fairly common, as well as economical, for travelers who intend to stay longer than a month or two to buy a cheap/used car and sell it before they go. This is far more cost efficient than renting or taking public transportation and is obviously more convenient, as it removes the time constraints and allows you to go at your own pace. Andy and I had planned to buy one in Christchurch before continuing our travels. On our third day in Christchurch, Paul helped us find one for a fair price on trademe.co.nz (kind of like a New Zealand version of Craigslist). He also helped us negotiate the price down further so we ended up getting a pretty good deal out of it!

With our transportation needs taken care of, we set our sights on accommodation. Campervaning was fun on the North Island, but this time around we decided to try good old fashioned tent camping, much to Andy's delight. So in addition to buying a car, we also invested in buying camping gear (tent, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, etc.) Most were on sale, including our tent, which we bought for a 1/3 of the original price. With the cost of hostels in New Zealand, we figured we would more than make up for this expense within 2-3 weeks.

Our new (used) car with our new tent on Lake Ellesmere

On the subject of saving money, here are just a couple more personal tips from our month spent in New Zealand so far:

1. Domestic flights can be cheaper than the Interisland ferry (especially if you are crossing with a vehicle).
2. Of the three main grocery stores we have found (Countdown, New World, and Pak n Save), Pak n Save seems to be the cheapest in general and they market themselves so. They also have Thrifty Thursday deals (which we discovered by chance) where many of their items go for a fraction of price. Take advantage of these!

Back to our trip :)

Since buying our car and our camping gear, we have been staying at free/cheap campsites in the areas around Christchurch. It is quite a bit colder here on the South Island, but we expect it will warm up in the next month or two as summer approaches and we slowly work our way north towards Nelson. It is there that we hope to find jobs and a place to live so please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this new endeavor!