coroneljan.: Day 37: Christchurch to ???: City + Cashmere Hills

This morning the 2 asians and I were dropped off in Christchurch. The other 2 volunteers had a transfercar they had to pick up, and I was picking up my rental car for the month.

Whats transfercar? In New Zealand there are a lot of rental cars that often end up in another city. One way to get a free ride through New Zealand is through transfercar, where rental companies offer the car for a day or two for FREE so they can bring the rental car back to their original destination.

As much as I wouldve loved to use transfercar, for me renting a car gave me me more freedom to go wherever I wanted. I think transfercar used in conjunction with other ways of transportation (bus, hitch hiking, and ride sharing) would have been the most cost effective way of travelling in new zealand.

After picking up my rental car I hung out with the first friend I made in New Zealand! She lived nearby so we went around town and cashmere hills to see Christchurch in a day.

In 2011 Christchurch was hit with an earthquake that destroyed buildings and homes. Even now a lot of the city is still in ruins, and rainstorms cause problems with flooding in the city, but as the city is being rebuilt, the city gains new character. An example is the re:Start container mall, where stores are opened in shipping containers.

After going around Christchurch for the day I went off to drive south.

It was already getting dark and for some reason I was set on leaving Christchurch that night so I didnt book a hostel because I didnt even know where I was headed. That night was the first night I slept in my car...

Most places dont allow freedom camping overnigt but after driving a bit I eventually found a rest area where overnight parking was allowed.

There are a few things Ive learned today.
- nights are cold
- at least plan a day in advance (I should have known this already)
- sleeping in a car is uncomfortable