Christchurch & Canterbury

Best time to visit Christchurch & Canterbury

November to April is the dependable window. Summer in Canterbury is drier and warmer than in much of the South Island, because the Alps catch the rain coming from the west. December to February brings 20 to 25 degrees and long evenings, but also fills every campsite around Akaroa. March and April are our suggestion for arriving: warm enough, considerably emptier, and the roads south and west are clear. From May to September city nights can drop to freezing, and the notorious nor'wester puts gale gusts across the plains on individual days. In any season, the weather here turns fast, and a warm morning says little about the afternoon. If you start in winter, decide on an alpine route only after checking the pass reports.

Arriving and collecting the campervan

We hand over in Christchurch and in Auckland. For a South Island trip, Christchurch makes more sense as a start, because you set off without a ferry crossing and the classic routes begin at the door. At handover we walk through the vehicle with you, explain the gas cooker, the water tank and the waste system, and answer the questions that only occur to you once you are standing in front of it.

Do not overfill your arrival day. After a long-haul flight the first hours of driving on the left are harder than you expect. Our recommendation: collect the campervan, do a supermarket shop, and spend the first night in or near Christchurch rather than driving three hours straight away.

The same applies in reverse for the return. If your flight home is the same day, bring the campervan back the evening before and spend the last night in town. It takes the pressure out of the final day.

• First shop: Pak'nSave or Countdown, both with large car parks
• Gas canisters and camping gear at Kathmandu and Bunnings
• SIM card at the airport or in town; Vodafone and One NZ have the best South Island coverage
• Plan the first night near the city rather than driving a long leg

The city after the earthquakes

Between 2010 and 2011 a series of severe quakes destroyed much of the inner city. What has grown back is unusual: instead of a restored old town there is a centre of new buildings, gaps, street art on exposed walls and temporary uses. You can tell the city is not finished with itself.

The Transitional Cathedral built from cardboard, designed by Shigeru Ban, exists nowhere else. The Quake City museum explains the events in an hour without melodrama. And the Botanic Gardens in Hagley Park are free, enormous, and the best place to reset after a flight.

One place often missed: the 185 Empty Chairs memorial, a field of white chairs for the 185 people who died, every chair different. It stands open on a street corner and is quieter than any museum.

Banks Peninsula and Akaroa

The Banks Peninsula is what is left of two extinct volcanoes, and the road out there is the twistiest within reach of the city. Christchurch to Akaroa is 80 kilometres and about 1.5 hours, the last half hour running along the crater rim with the harbour in view.

Akaroa was a French settlement, which still shows in the street names. The real reason to go is the Hector's dolphin, the smallest dolphin species in the world, found only in New Zealand. Boat trips cost around 95 to 110 NZD, swimming with them considerably more. Sighting rates in summer are very high.

For the way back, take the Summit Road along the crater rim instead of the direct route. It is narrow and partly gravel but manageable in our campervans, and the view over both harbours is the best panorama in the region.

Where to go from Christchurch

There are three sensible first legs, and the choice shapes the whole trip. South via Tekapo and Mount Cook towards Queenstown is the classic route with the best-known images. West over Arthur's Pass is the shortest link to glaciers and rainforest at 3.5 hours.

North via Kaikōura towards Marlborough is right if you are heading for the ferry at Picton. The coast road is among the finest in the country, and Kaikōura at 2.5 hours makes a natural first stop.

What we see after many handovers: people who go clockwise, south first and back up the West Coast, usually get better light and do not leave the glaciers to the end of the trip when energy is running out.

Where to park up

Freedom camping is largely banned inside Christchurch. Spencer Park and the area around New Brighton are designated and usable for self-contained vehicles; the rules are on the signs and they are enforced.

Holiday parks on the edge of town cost 45 to 60 NZD for two and are the easier choice for the first night: power to charge everything, a hot shower, and time to work out where things live in the van. After a long-haul flight that is worth the 20 NZD.

It improves quickly once you leave: DOC campsites at Lake Lyndon and in the hills towards Arthur's Pass cost 8 to 15 NZD per person. If you are not in a hurry, drive an hour out on the second day and sleep somewhere far better.