Officially a Backpacker

I gave in. I am no longer a “suitcaser” – I have officially joined the ranks of “backpacker.” After days of trying to figure out what to send home, what to keep, how to transport my overpacked suitcase, I decided it would be best just to buy a backpack and send everything home that doesn’t fit. After scouring the Queenstown area and asking salespeople more questions than I can remember, I decided on a 65liter backpack for 120NZD. It was the last one left and on sale. I was so proud of myself for holding out until I found the best deal possible. I have been toting around 5 bags (yes, 5) for the past month and a half. I seem to keep buying more and not getting rid of any.

I arrived in Lake Tekapo yesterday, the halfway point between Queenstown and Christchurch. I figured I’d split the journey in half and hole up in the little town for a night. It poured the entire trip from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo and continued throughout today. The whole town of Lake Tekapo is a strip mall situated along the main highway. To be honest, the place gave me the creeps, and I’m happy that I decided to stay only one night. It seemed to me like an inbred country town where everyone has only two teeth and knows everyone else’s business. Many people stay in Lake Tekapo because of its proximity to Mount Cook, a mountain with supposed beautiful walks and views (don’t they all say that?); otherwise I found no reason at all why someone would want to stay there. The hostel I stayed at was especially strange. The manager behind the reception desk tried to guess my name three times before he even let me ask if they had any dorms available. Only after I shook my head for a third time when he asked, “Amy?” did he let me inquire about a room. I did take a nice walk along the lake last night, once the rain had abated, but I wasn’t sticking around to see any more of the town. I got up early enough this morning and left as soon as possible.

I arrived in Christchurch today after a 3-hour drive. I stopped briefly along the way for a “driver reviver” – free coffee served by a café along the highway. I think that’s a pretty great idea. They help curb the number of drivers who veer off the road or cause accidents from fatigue by serving free wake-up beverages. Seeing as I’m a coffee fiend, I was pleased, even though it was 12pm and I was in no danger of falling asleep at the wheel.

Christchurch seems like a nice enough city but I was advised to spend as little time as possible here. A city is a city is a city (except for New York – I’m biased) and New Zealand isn’t known for its cities, it’s known for its landscapes and small, attractive towns. I drove around the block 7 times before I found a place to park. I found a spot fairly close to my hostel and I’m not planning on moving until I leave Monday morning. Everything in the city center is paid parking, but luckily I’m staying the weekend and parking is free.

I had tried to make it to Christchurch before the post office closed but to no avail. I’ve been lugging around my excess items in huge boxes in the back of my car. I was hoping to send them home today before I proceeded to Picton, where I have to drop off my car, but I guess I’ll just have to send them from Picton before I drop off the car. There’s no way I could transport the boxes otherwise. Besides sending home my stuff, my next order of business was to sell my suitcases. I found a cash converter two blocks away from my hostel that bought both of my suitcases for 40NZD. I was hoping for a bit more, but I had been planning on tossing them in the dump, so any money would have satisfied me. I am slowly beginning the process of unburdening myself of material items so I can travel more lightly. I have more than 6 months of travel ahead of me and I’d like to accomplish it as easily as possible.