Set Off from Christchurch to Timaru and Omaru (Day 2)

In the morning after we checked out from the hostel we stayed in Christchurch, we're fresh and excited again to continue our driving journey down to Timaru. In the middle of the journey, we stopped the car at the roadside when we saw some nice views and wanted to take some photos. It's true that I was same as my friend, we liked to take as many photos as possible ;P

In Maori language, Timaru may mean ‘Place of Shelter’ – Te Maru. Timaru is a township belongs to Canterbury Region in South Island and it could be reached through driving along the State Highway 1 from Christchurch. The distance between Christchurch and Timaru is 163km and it takes about 2 1/3 hours.



Timaru downtown


We arrived in Timaru a little earlier than afternoon, so we drove through the town before we got to a cafe for our lunch. That day was 19th May and it’s my birthday as well, I still remember that I had lasagna and milk shake as my birthday lunch with Yen :)

After the lunch, Yen and I had a casual window shopping in downtown, had a nature walk in open parks and also visited the churches as well as premises with beautiful architecture. 

I-site building and the sculpture of Captain Henry Cain in front of the buiding



Steak @ Custom House(Old Customs House) at Strathallan St

St Mary's Anglican Church at Church St

Chalmers Presbyterian Church at Elizaberth St

A relaxing public park for nature walk

Railway across Timaru on the coastline

Timaru was quiet during our visit and I still recall it’s a weekday. We didn't stay overnight in the town as we thought it’s enough for a day walk. Therefore, I continued to drive to the next town Oamaru before the sky was dark.

Owing to late autumn, the day was getting dark really soon. Moreover, the weather was pretty cold. In the halfway of the road journey, I could hardly judge the distance between cars and drive properly due to the fog. All I could do was just followed the rear lights of the car in front and drove slowly. I actually almost couldn't see anything else outside the car except the heavy mist and I told my friend in joke that we as if somewhere in the heaven, lol!

It usually takes 1 hour and 5 minute drive from Timaru to Oamaru. Due to the bad driving condition that we faced on the day, we actually took more than that. It's already dark when we arrived in Oamaru and nothing much we could visit at that night. Still, we noticed that a friend of ours is also traveling and she’s in Oamaru too. Hence, we joined her for couple of hours in the hostel she’s staying. The hostel seemed like a nice accomodation. Anyhow, Yen and I didn't sleep in the hostel at that night as we wanted an attempt to sleep in the vehicle as some other backpackers did. To be frank, it's not really comfortable for us to sleep in the car mainly because the weather during autumn was extremely cold throughout the night
:(

Hit the Road to Kaikoura and Christchurch from Picton (Day 1)

Leaving from Picton, I drove the car along East Coast on the State Highway 1(SH1) to Kaikoura. In fact, Kaikoura is a small town with the population not more than 5000 residents. It’s a beautiful place lies on the East Coast of South Island with the combination of ocean and mountains. Derived from Maori word, Kaikoura is a name means ‘meal of crayfish’, so I guess it has the possibility of having abundant of this seafood?!

Kaikoura Town and mountains could be seen from the town

One of the greatest activities for visitors to Kaikoura is swim with the dolphins

Remarkable river view with mountains

Trees planted along the seaside and created a great environment for nature walk

Amazing mountains & ocean view in the late afternoon

Kaikoura is rich with nature and marine life. It’s certainly a popular destination for whale (mainly Sperm Whales) watching and dolphin swimming. However they’re not in our must-do list, so Yen and I only stopped off the town area in the late afternoon before continue the driving to Christchurch.