This post is long overdue...
So first let me start off with Melbourne Cup Day, since that is what made our trip to New Zealand possible. This was the first time that I have gotten a paid holiday from work for a horse race. We heard that it was a sight to behold and were debating whether or not to travel on that day. We opted for NZ but luckily, on our trip home from the Melbourne airport, we got a little taste of what Melbourne Cup Day is all about. I have never seen so many well-dressed, sun burnt, drunk people stumbling home in all of my life. For those that were not drunk, it was obvious that either the sun or the previous drunkenness was already taking its toll and it was a bit like watching a massive walk of shame. I hope to join the masses next year (for the race, not the walk). I will wear sunscreen and a massive hat and perhaps maybe even drink a little bit of water!
As for 'crossing the ditch,' which is slang for traveling to New Zealand, in one word... fantastic! We flew out of Melbourne Friday night and arrived into Christchurch even later Friday night. We immediately hopped into our hotel shuttle only to find out that our hotel was literally across the airport parking lot. We arrived at the hotel only seconds before those that had obviously stayed there before strolled up. Then, given that our reservation was booked only that afternoon from the Melbourne airport, we got pushed to the back of the line anyway. We walked back to the airport the next morning to get a rental car.
Due to some mis-communication at the car rental counter, we ended up getting a beast of a car, a Ford Territory (Big Blue!) that was a bit of tank to drive. There's nothing like barrelling down foreign, two-lane highways in a massive SUV on the wrong side of the road! It was also quite challenging to navigate the one-lane bridges and the one-lane curvy highways?!? Did I also mention it was pouring rain the first day? It was good to us though and we ended up putting almost 1000km on it in 3 days occasionally taking advantage of the AWD feature. 
All I can say with regards to re-fueling Big Blue is thank goodness for the exchange rate! With regards to lamb and mint chips, not so bad...
Day 1 of our 3-day, 1000km adventure consisted of driving from Christchurch over Arthur's Pass to Greymouth and then Greymouth to Fox Glacier. In Greymouth we learned that Kiwi beer trumps Aussie beer (and it's cheaper). In Fox Glacier we learned a bit about All Blacks rugby thanks to a British couple that we shared a table with during the All Blacks vs. Australia game.
In 
between, we saw waterfalls, swinging bridges, cows, sheep, kea birds, mountains, and more. The most amazing thing though was the turquoise water. Apparently fine sediments from the native bluestone turn the creeks and lakes of NZ the bright turquoise color.
My favorite part about the All Blacks had to be the haka, which is their traditional pregame posture dance, which is rather scary. Good on the Tonga team for responding to it though (see video below). The Australian team just sort of stood there and took it, although that might be harder to do than to actually respond, so good on anyone who dares to take the field with those guys.
Day 2 of our adventure we went to Fox Glacier and headed back north to
Franz Josef Glacier, Greymouth, Punakaiki, and Westport. The two glaciers were the first glaciers that I have ever seen in person and I decided that the guided tours that actually go up them might be worth it next time. That or a helicopter that drops you off on top. Punakaiki is home to the pancake rocks 
(hmmm, pancakes). Our intention was to use Westport for food and Internet, but we ended up staying the night there based on the recommendation of our waiter. We had a great dinner though and a very friendly hotel in Westport. More sheep, cows, turquoise water...
Day 3 we went from Westport through Buller Gorge to Murchison, back down highway 65 to Springs Junction, and then back into Christchurch for the night. The scenery on day 3 was by far my favorite (although I bet day 1 would've been more competition had we driven that leg on a as sunny of a day as day 3). I also got to see Brendan harassing sheep on day 3, which was quite entertaining. Our hotel this last night (Hotel Windsor) was by far my favorite as well, but it was also the most expensive. It was a traditional British inn with coffee and tea service afternoon and evening and cooked-to-order breakfast the next morning. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Christchurch.
We spent our last day in downtown Christchurch. We went into the Christchurch Cathedral, did some shopping, and took a brief stroll through the botanic gardens before heading back to the airport. If you ever need some outdoor gear, I highly recommend that you fly to Christchurch. Not only is there a large selection because there is store after store, but the exchange rate works quite favorably.
So first let me start off with Melbourne Cup Day, since that is what made our trip to New Zealand possible. This was the first time that I have gotten a paid holiday from work for a horse race. We heard that it was a sight to behold and were debating whether or not to travel on that day. We opted for NZ but luckily, on our trip home from the Melbourne airport, we got a little taste of what Melbourne Cup Day is all about. I have never seen so many well-dressed, sun burnt, drunk people stumbling home in all of my life. For those that were not drunk, it was obvious that either the sun or the previous drunkenness was already taking its toll and it was a bit like watching a massive walk of shame. I hope to join the masses next year (for the race, not the walk). I will wear sunscreen and a massive hat and perhaps maybe even drink a little bit of water!
As for 'crossing the ditch,' which is slang for traveling to New Zealand, in one word... fantastic! We flew out of Melbourne Friday night and arrived into Christchurch even later Friday night. We immediately hopped into our hotel shuttle only to find out that our hotel was literally across the airport parking lot. We arrived at the hotel only seconds before those that had obviously stayed there before strolled up. Then, given that our reservation was booked only that afternoon from the Melbourne airport, we got pushed to the back of the line anyway. We walked back to the airport the next morning to get a rental car.
Due to some mis-communication at the car rental counter, we ended up getting a beast of a car, a Ford Territory (Big Blue!) that was a bit of tank to drive. There's nothing like barrelling down foreign, two-lane highways in a massive SUV on the wrong side of the road! It was also quite challenging to navigate the one-lane bridges and the one-lane curvy highways?!? Did I also mention it was pouring rain the first day? It was good to us though and we ended up putting almost 1000km on it in 3 days occasionally taking advantage of the AWD feature. 
All I can say with regards to re-fueling Big Blue is thank goodness for the exchange rate! With regards to lamb and mint chips, not so bad...Day 1 of our 3-day, 1000km adventure consisted of driving from Christchurch over Arthur's Pass to Greymouth and then Greymouth to Fox Glacier. In Greymouth we learned that Kiwi beer trumps Aussie beer (and it's cheaper). In Fox Glacier we learned a bit about All Blacks rugby thanks to a British couple that we shared a table with during the All Blacks vs. Australia game.
In 
between, we saw waterfalls, swinging bridges, cows, sheep, kea birds, mountains, and more. The most amazing thing though was the turquoise water. Apparently fine sediments from the native bluestone turn the creeks and lakes of NZ the bright turquoise color.My favorite part about the All Blacks had to be the haka, which is their traditional pregame posture dance, which is rather scary. Good on the Tonga team for responding to it though (see video below). The Australian team just sort of stood there and took it, although that might be harder to do than to actually respond, so good on anyone who dares to take the field with those guys.
Day 2 of our adventure we went to Fox Glacier and headed back north to
Franz Josef Glacier, Greymouth, Punakaiki, and Westport. The two glaciers were the first glaciers that I have ever seen in person and I decided that the guided tours that actually go up them might be worth it next time. That or a helicopter that drops you off on top. Punakaiki is home to the pancake rocks 
(hmmm, pancakes). Our intention was to use Westport for food and Internet, but we ended up staying the night there based on the recommendation of our waiter. We had a great dinner though and a very friendly hotel in Westport. More sheep, cows, turquoise water...Day 3 we went from Westport through Buller Gorge to Murchison, back down highway 65 to Springs Junction, and then back into Christchurch for the night. The scenery on day 3 was by far my favorite (although I bet day 1 would've been more competition had we driven that leg on a as sunny of a day as day 3). I also got to see Brendan harassing sheep on day 3, which was quite entertaining. Our hotel this last night (Hotel Windsor) was by far my favorite as well, but it was also the most expensive. It was a traditional British inn with coffee and tea service afternoon and evening and cooked-to-order breakfast the next morning. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Christchurch.
We spent our last day in downtown Christchurch. We went into the Christchurch Cathedral, did some shopping, and took a brief stroll through the botanic gardens before heading back to the airport. If you ever need some outdoor gear, I highly recommend that you fly to Christchurch. Not only is there a large selection because there is store after store, but the exchange rate works quite favorably.
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