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November on the North Island was a great introduction to New Zealand for us. The time went really quickly and before we knew it, the time had come for us to leave Gisborne and head for our next destination. This time we were heading to Christchurch on the South Island.

The South Island, or to give it its Mauri name, ‘Te Waipounamu’, is slightly larger than the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) yet the population is far smaller. From a New Zealand total population of just over five million, only one million(ish) people reside on the South Island.

The feeling of space in this country is evident everywhere.

In the towns and cities, the pavements and roads are wide. Houses are large and all have equally large gardens. Everywhere you look there is an abundance of green space. Even the parking spaces at the supermarket have a gap between each space rather than the thin painted white line that we are used to in the UK!

A short drive out of the towns and cities quickly takes you to the jewel in the crown of this beautiful country – Its nature.

I think I have said it previously, but ‘breathtaking’ is the only word I can think of that suitably describes the vast mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, lakes, quaint little towns, and hot springs that seem to greet you around every corner.

This truly must be one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island and is where both our December housesits were located. Although the type of location of both was totally different from each other. The first was a coastal village and the second was a residential suburb.

The city of Christchurch was badly damaged when, on Tuesday the 22nd of February 2011 at exactly 12.51 p.m. it was hit by a huge, magnitude 6.3 earthquake.

Tragically 185 people lost their lives and thousands more were injured.

Since the earthquake, Christchurch has undergone a huge amount of regeneration and, although signs of the earthquake are still to be seen, it now looks and feels once more like a cool, lively, thriving city centre destination. Bustling with locals and tourists alike enjoying the many great shops, restaurants, bars, and attractions to be found here.

With its amazing botanical gardens and numerous parks in the region, Christchurch is aptly also known as ‘The garden city’.

Getting to our first house sit in Sumner

We had two house/pet sits and one Airbnb booked during our December stay on the South Island. All were in the suburbs of Christchurch.

Our first was in the coastal village of Sumner.

Getting to Sumner on the South Island from Gisborne on the North Island was very easy. Gisborne had its own airport which was less than a five-minute drive from where our house sit in Gisborne had been.

We probably could have walked to the airport it was that close but, as we had two suitcases to carry, our home host, Maureen, kindly offered to give us a lift.

From there, we took a 6 am flight, via Auckland to Christchurch (Not cheap at £250 each). Then from Christchurch airport, a one-hour bus journey took us directly to the village of Sumner (A bargain at £1 each!)

We knew that our house sit sat high on a hill but had not anticipated the steepness of the hill. Nor the fact that there was a road going up the hill but no footpath.

The bus had stopped in the village. We could see our final destination up the hill but with our suitcases, the final 150-200 meter leg of our journey looked tricky.

There was only one option – call an Uber!

This was easier said than done. Sumner is a small village. We did an Uber search and the closest car was twenty minutes away. We booked it and waited. To be honest we were not convinced that one would travel all that distance for such a short ride but all credit to them they did. Twenty minutes later the Uber arrived and three minutes after that we were standing outside what was to be our home for the next five days.

The Accommodation

We keep a tally of all our housesits and this was our 29th. Only once have we had a bad experience. All the others have been either good, great, or amazing.

This one was definitely in the amazing category.

The house was nestled high in the hills. It was huge and had a beautiful terrace that had the most amazing views over the ocean and the village of Sumner below.

We were only here for five nights but loved every minute of our time spent here.

The home hosts asked us if we could return in January for another two weeks. Of course, we would have loved to but we were already committed.

I did consider leaving Karyo at the other sit and coming back here by myself for a couple of weeks but he said he would divorce me if I did so we had to disappointingly decline the offer!

The Pets

There were two very easy-to-care-for inside cats living here, Milky and Chicken.

Milky is a very friendly ragdoll that loved to come to spend time with us. Chicken, a moggie was having none of it. She stayed under the bed the whole time we were around, presumably coming out when we were not there to eat and use the litter tray.

Had we not known there were two cats in the house we would have thought that Milky was eating and pooing a lot!

The Area

Sumner is a tourist area about 10km from Christchurch city centre. It is particularly popular with surfers as the beaches here have perfect surfing conditions.

Swimming is a little tricky as the waves are high and the currents are strong. Lifeguards are on duty during popular times though. As long as you are sensible a quick dip in the pacific ocean is not an impossibility.

Following the coastline was a great option for a run which we did a couple of times.

All went well. That was except for the day that I took a tumble and thought I had broken my leg! Granted, I may have been a bit of a drama queen but it didn’t half come keen!

The village of Sumner is an affluent area with numerous upmarket cafes, shops and bars. The is also a really well-maintained park with an outside swimming pool.

On those hills surrounding the village are numerous really nice, bespoke homes of all shapes and sizes all looking out to sea. One of which we had the pleasure to stay in for a few days.

Taylor’s Mistake

There are some great walks along the coastline of Sumner. We enjoyed a lovely hike along a coastal path known as ‘Taylors Mistake’. The start of the walk was very near to our house sit. It then followed the cliffs for about two kilometres with great views all the way until we reached our destination of The Taylors Mistake Bay.

The original Maori name of Taylors Mistake bay was ‘Te One-Poto’, which means little beach.

You may be wondering why then, is the bay now known as Taylors Mistake?

Good Question, I’m glad you asked.

The story starts in 1853 when, within the span of ten years, the first of three separate shipping accidents occurred.

These accidents were to have an extraordinary coincidental link.

In 1853 Chief Officer Taylor was in charge of a barge named ‘The Gwalior’. Unfortunately, he mistook the bay for the deeper, Lyttelton Harbour entrance and ran it aground.

Five years later, In 1858, Captain Taylor (No relation to the previously mentioned Chief officer Taylor) did the exact same thing with his ship ‘The Volga’

Unbelievably, Just five years after that. In 1863, Captain Taylor (No relation to either of the others) did the very same thing yet again with his Schooner ‘Catherine’!

If you decide to hire a boat and the captain happens to be ‘Captain Taylor’ my recommendation would be to give this bay a wide birth!

Next stop – an Airbnb

After Sumner, we had a four-day gap before heading to our second house sit in Christchurch. To fill this gap we decided to book an Airbnb in the village of Addington.

Addington was a great location for us as it is situated directly between Sumner and Halswell, the location of our next house sit.

One thing we have discovered here in New Zealand is how cheap and reliable the bus service is. We checked the timetable and there was a bus from Sumner, directly to Addington every half hour.

We felt guilty calling a cab again for such a short distance and as this time we were going down the hill, we decided to walk to the bus stop.

It turned out to be a bit of a scary walk with cars passing by very closely every couple of minutes.

I say walk. A better description would be two sweaty Brits chasing two runaway suitcases down a hill.

As undignified as it was, the plan worked and we were standing at the bus stop in literally double-quick time.

Travelling between house sits can often be expensive and we rarely know how much it is likely to cost until we arrive at our destination. We have been amazed at the value of the bus service here. The $2 (£1) fare seems to be a standard charge.

This time we did the whole journey door to door, for two people, for the grand total of $4 (£2!). A bargain!

The Airbnb

Addington is known as Addington village but, honestly, that is stretching the imagination to its limit. It looked as if it had recently had an upgrade from an industrial estate to a residential area.

There is a busy main road the length of ‘the village’ with shops, bars and cafes running both sides all along the length of the road. Behind the retail units are the residential buildings.

Very practical, but not very pretty.

On the plus side, the location was great. Hagley park was a ten-minute walk and another ten-minute walk from there took you directly into Christchurch city centre.

Addington village is another area that was constructed quickly after the 2011 earthquake to help accommodate the many people that had had their own homes damaged beyond repair.

This meant that most of the residential buildings in the area are relatively new.

The Airbnb we stayed in was one of a block of around twenty new build houses.

I have to say, It was very nice indeed.

The house was only a year old. It had been rented as Airbnb accommodation for all that time yet was still in brand spanking new condition. It was a miracle how they managed to keep it in such good condition whilst letting it on short-term rental.

There was not a scratch, stain or scuff anywhere. It even smelt new!

A brand new two bedroom house, walking distance from Christchurch city centre for £87.50 a night made this one of the best Airbnbs we have ever stayed in. We would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Christchurch.

House sit number two – Halswell

Our second, and main housesit in the South Island was in the suburb of Halswell. Again, this neighbourhood had been built after the 2011 earthquake so the whole area looked new. Really clean and practical but does not have a lot of character.

It looked almost like a film set. Rows of new, all very similar houses, all with pristine gardens. Wide, perfectly maintained roads. Lots of green spaces where people were walking their dogs or playing with their children in the perfectly manicured parks.

There is even a large, mini road system that had been built with road markings and signage that children can ride their bikes and mini cars on. The area has definitely been well-designed to make it an attractive place for families to want to settle here.

The House

Our home for the next four weeks was really lovely. A single-story, four-bedroom house with a large garden. Spotlessly clean with a ‘welcome’ sign in Maori waiting to greet us

We arrived the day before the family flew to spend the holiday period with their family in the UK.

They kindly left us their car to use for the duration of our sit so the next day we took them all to the airport. We waved them off and then returned to settle into our 30th house sit.

The Pet

Along with the care of the home and garden on this sit we also had the company of Toui (two ee) during our stay here.

Toui is a mixed-breed dog. He has the head and strength of a Staffordshire bull terrier and the body, agility and energy of a Labrador.

He really is a lovely dog with a great temperament. His big love is tennis balls and will fetch them as many times as you can throw them. Then when you stop throwing them he will bring them to you to remind you that you should be throwing them!

Each evening we have been taking him to the local park for a lengthy tennis ball throw and fetch session. Then a long off-leash walk where he happily strolled along with us. Never more than a few yards away as if he has known us all his life.

He never barks, puts himself to bed at 9 pm and doesn’t wake until 8 am. A dream dog!

It really has been a pleasure to spend time with him. He is definitely one of the dogs that we will miss when we leave.

Getting in the Christmas spirit!

Back in July whilst we were in Brighton we attended a house sitters meet-up in London. Whilst we were there we met another sitter, Sheryl.

Sheryl told us that, coincidentally, she was also house/petsitting in New Zealand over a similar time period that we were. That was an unexpected surprise and we arranged to keep in touch.

Karyo and I had been wondering whether we should do anything ‘Christmassy’ whilst we were here so were delighted when Sheryl contacted us to let us know that the New Zealand Army Band were doing a Christmas concert in Christchurch Town hall the week before Christmas.

It was a great opportunity to get to meet each other again and also our chance to into the Christmas spirit.

The afternoon was filled with festive fun. The band were excellent and played all the Christmas favourites from carols to well-known pop tunes.

Let’s face it, what can be better than a festive favourite sing-a-long the week before Christmas?

We did have a laugh that just about every song they played was all about cold and snow. The exact opposite of a normal barbeque-on-the-beach Kiwi Christmas.

Little did we know that they had a Kiwi Christmas song tucked up their sleeves that, for some strange reason, they didn’t play on the day. A missed opportunity!

Christmas Day

Christmas day felt very different for us this year. Primarily because we are on the other side of the world and it was sunny!

Sheryl came to join us for the day. She made a delicious nut roast, we did the trimmings and a great day was had by all.

Good food, good company, good conversation, and plenty of sunshine. The perfect recipe for a great Christmas Day. One that we will remember for many years to come!

To finish the day off we took Toui for a walk in Quarry Park.

This is a local park that was running as a working quarry until the supply of usable rock eventually ran out in 1990.

The council then decided to turn the land of the quarry into a nature reserve and commenced the mammoth task of planting over 250,000 trees, plants and shrubs. Eventually creating what is now the beautiful Halswell Quarry.

There are now an impressive sixty hectares to explore including picnic areas, walking paths, mountain biking tracks, historic sites, botanical gardens, wetlands, a dog park, and the remains of the original quarry.

The end of another year

For New Year’s Eve, we had a quiet night in with a glass of bubbly to welcome in 2023.

2022 has been quite a year for us.

• 17 house sits
• 282 nights
• 2 countries
• 12 Dogs
• 17 cats

We have loved every minute of it and already are excited to see what people and pets we will get to meet and which places we will get to visit during the year ahead.

Thank you so much for following our travels through 2022. I hope you have enjoyed reading the monthly updates as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Until next month, We wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Hugs, Colin & Karyo