We took a very late flight (Jetstar) from Sydney to Christchurch. There are multiple airlines providing flight service between these two places, including Air New Zealand, Qantas Airline, Virgin Airline (supposed to be a more budget option but apparently not unless you manage to get really good deal during promotional period) and Jetstar (obviously the cheapest option here). The one-way flight costed us around 250 AUD per person (inclusive of checked-in baggage).
We reached Christchurch at 12.30am (local time), in which the arrival time was taken into consideration when I looked for accommodation. Of course, we could always opt for staying overnight at airport and pick up our rental van on the next day. However, considering my family members who are not as young and flexible as me, I chose Airport Lodge Motel in the end. From the name of the motel, it is easy to tell that it is located very near to airport. And the best thing is it provides 24-hour free shuttle bus service from airport to the motel. What you need to do is just make a call using the phone provided in airport and the shuttle bus will come within 10 minutes. On the next day, you can even ask the driver to drop you at car rental centre!
We also managed to obtain a prepaid sim card in the airport. Instead of the popular traveller sim card which allows you to make oversea calls (which I highly doubt if it is essential especially when you can always use hotel's wifi to make Whatsapp calls), we decided to get $49 value pack. It includes 4GB of data, additional 1GB for social media use, 500 mins of local calls and unlimited texts. Totally fine for us as we just need the internet access for navigation.
Accommodation
Airport Lodge Motel
Address: 45 Roydvale Avenue, Christchurch, 8000, New Zealand.
Pros: Free 24-hour airport shuttle, free Wifi
Cons: More expensive as compared to other hotels in city centre
Price per person: NZD 71
The first thing to do in the morning was to get our car!!! Very excited about the road trip ahead. I did a lot of research on which company to go for. Apex Rental was selected in view of the reasonable pricing and pretty good online reviews. To summarize here, we did not encounter any issue with the vehicle throughout the journey. The staff at the rental centre was also helpful and friendly.
There was a total of 7 of us and our vehicle of choice was Toyota Hiace (which can fit up to 12 people but our huge luggage was a main concern too). Remember to bring both your original driving licence and international driving licence! Do a proper examination of the vehicle before driving away. And also ask for GPS device if you do not see one in your car.
Transportation
Apex Car Rental
Price: NZD 1322.76 (Toyota Hiace, 10-day rental with midnight return surcharge)
Our motel stay did not come with complimentary breakfast, so we went to McD for a quick breakfast. Highly recommend the Mince N Cheese Pie (not available in Malaysia and Singapore), the filling was very rich and creamy. We purchased our groceries at Christchurch as it would be much cheaper to do so than buying dinner ingredients at Lake Tekapo.
The drive to Lake Tekapo took about 3 hours. We proceeded to check in first. We stayed at Garden Tower, which allows maximum number of 12 to stay. In New Zealand, the accommodation is usually charged per head count, instead of per property. Even though there was only 7 people in our group, we didn't pay more for the additional space. I have to say "This is definitely a bungalow, my dream house, OMG!" It is really spacious and well-furnished, too huge for 7 of us. And the location is superb, within walking distance to Church of the Good Shepherd, check out the view from our balcony below! Parkbrae estate also offers a wide selection of quality cottages and apartments to suit different size of traveller groups.
Accommodation
Parkbrae Estate (Garden Tower)
Address: 3 Sealy Street, 7999 Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
Price per peson: NZD 70
Speaking of food in Lake Tekapo, almost all blogs and websites would mention this famous Japanese Restaurant - Kohan Restaurant. The pricing for dinner is more expensive than lunch to a certain extent. Hence, I would recommend to depart early from Christchurch and make it on time for lunch. If you miss the lunch hours like us, you may consider buying some sushi from the restaurant as an add-on dish for your homecooked dinner. Hehe.
Food
Kohan Restaurant
Address: 6 Rapuwai Lane, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
Opening Hours: 11am to 2pm (Lunch), 6pm and 9pm (Dinner)
*Reservation is recommended
At night, we went for stars gazing. Unable to take the photos but I have to convince you that the view was breathtaking even though we were freezing outside (around 2 degrees). Hiding inside our "bungalow", sipping on hot chocolate while viewing the starry sky, what a life!
Fast forward to the next morning, we woke up early for a morning walk. Was supposed to visit Astro Cafe on the first day but we were too late for it. Instead, we changed plan to make it our breakfast place instead. Located at the top of Mount John, it offers a impressive panoramic of the lovely town and the surrounding areas. Come early to avoid crowds.
Food
Astro Cafe
Address: Mount John Observatory, Godley Peaks Rd, Lake Tekapo 7945, New Zealand.
Opening Hours: 9am to 6pm (Summer), 10am to 5pm (Winter)
Okay, after enjoying our breakfast at Astro Cafe, we bid goodbye to Lake Tekapo and continued our journey to Mount Cook ~
We reached Christchurch at 12.30am (local time), in which the arrival time was taken into consideration when I looked for accommodation. Of course, we could always opt for staying overnight at airport and pick up our rental van on the next day. However, considering my family members who are not as young and flexible as me, I chose Airport Lodge Motel in the end. From the name of the motel, it is easy to tell that it is located very near to airport. And the best thing is it provides 24-hour free shuttle bus service from airport to the motel. What you need to do is just make a call using the phone provided in airport and the shuttle bus will come within 10 minutes. On the next day, you can even ask the driver to drop you at car rental centre!
We also managed to obtain a prepaid sim card in the airport. Instead of the popular traveller sim card which allows you to make oversea calls (which I highly doubt if it is essential especially when you can always use hotel's wifi to make Whatsapp calls), we decided to get $49 value pack. It includes 4GB of data, additional 1GB for social media use, 500 mins of local calls and unlimited texts. Totally fine for us as we just need the internet access for navigation.
Accommodation
Airport Lodge Motel
Address: 45 Roydvale Avenue, Christchurch, 8000, New Zealand.
Pros: Free 24-hour airport shuttle, free Wifi
Cons: More expensive as compared to other hotels in city centre
Price per person: NZD 71
The first thing to do in the morning was to get our car!!! Very excited about the road trip ahead. I did a lot of research on which company to go for. Apex Rental was selected in view of the reasonable pricing and pretty good online reviews. To summarize here, we did not encounter any issue with the vehicle throughout the journey. The staff at the rental centre was also helpful and friendly.
There was a total of 7 of us and our vehicle of choice was Toyota Hiace (which can fit up to 12 people but our huge luggage was a main concern too). Remember to bring both your original driving licence and international driving licence! Do a proper examination of the vehicle before driving away. And also ask for GPS device if you do not see one in your car.
Transportation
Apex Car Rental
Price: NZD 1322.76 (Toyota Hiace, 10-day rental with midnight return surcharge)
Our motel stay did not come with complimentary breakfast, so we went to McD for a quick breakfast. Highly recommend the Mince N Cheese Pie (not available in Malaysia and Singapore), the filling was very rich and creamy. We purchased our groceries at Christchurch as it would be much cheaper to do so than buying dinner ingredients at Lake Tekapo.
Random good view during our drive to Lake Tekapo.
The drive to Lake Tekapo took about 3 hours. We proceeded to check in first. We stayed at Garden Tower, which allows maximum number of 12 to stay. In New Zealand, the accommodation is usually charged per head count, instead of per property. Even though there was only 7 people in our group, we didn't pay more for the additional space. I have to say "This is definitely a bungalow, my dream house, OMG!" It is really spacious and well-furnished, too huge for 7 of us. And the location is superb, within walking distance to Church of the Good Shepherd, check out the view from our balcony below! Parkbrae estate also offers a wide selection of quality cottages and apartments to suit different size of traveller groups.
Accommodation
Parkbrae Estate (Garden Tower)
Address: 3 Sealy Street, 7999 Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
Price per peson: NZD 70
First level,
Dining Hall at Level 1. There is another bigger one at the third floor.
Level 2.
Good for winter.
The awesome view from our balcony!
The lupins technically bloom from spring to summer (September-February) in New Zealand, however “peak” lupin season in Lake Tekapo usually falls in mid November. We were slightly too early for full bloom but we still got a decent view in early November.
Blooming lupins.
Mackenzie Sheep Dog Statue.
Speaking of food in Lake Tekapo, almost all blogs and websites would mention this famous Japanese Restaurant - Kohan Restaurant. The pricing for dinner is more expensive than lunch to a certain extent. Hence, I would recommend to depart early from Christchurch and make it on time for lunch. If you miss the lunch hours like us, you may consider buying some sushi from the restaurant as an add-on dish for your homecooked dinner. Hehe.
Food
Kohan Restaurant
Address: 6 Rapuwai Lane, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
Opening Hours: 11am to 2pm (Lunch), 6pm and 9pm (Dinner)
*Reservation is recommended
Yummy! Thumbs up!
Enjoying the local beer.
At night, we went for stars gazing. Unable to take the photos but I have to convince you that the view was breathtaking even though we were freezing outside (around 2 degrees). Hiding inside our "bungalow", sipping on hot chocolate while viewing the starry sky, what a life!
Fast forward to the next morning, we woke up early for a morning walk. Was supposed to visit Astro Cafe on the first day but we were too late for it. Instead, we changed plan to make it our breakfast place instead. Located at the top of Mount John, it offers a impressive panoramic of the lovely town and the surrounding areas. Come early to avoid crowds.
Food
Astro Cafe
Address: Mount John Observatory, Godley Peaks Rd, Lake Tekapo 7945, New Zealand.
Opening Hours: 9am to 6pm (Summer), 10am to 5pm (Winter)
The cheesecake was delicious.
Astro Cafe.
Okay, after enjoying our breakfast at Astro Cafe, we bid goodbye to Lake Tekapo and continued our journey to Mount Cook ~
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