For years, New Zealand has been at the top of our bucket lists. And after years of anticipation, we have arrived! Best of all, we are going to see it in our favorite way - via road trip.

We've been in New Zealand for a few weeks now, and I can say with confidence that it is the most naturally beautiful country that I've ever seen. We will have tons of posts with mind-bogglingly gorgeous photos in the weeks to come.

But first, we want to talk about the first part of our road trip to Christchurch and Dunedin, both on New Zealand's South Island (side note: New Zealand's South Island is primarily known for its nature and the North Island is known as the more populated, metropolitan of the two). I say "but first" because neither of these cities is especially picturesque by New Zealand's standards.

Many may remember that Christchurch was devastated by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks in 2010 and 2011. The city is still recovering and rebuilding, with an aggressive and ambitious plan to redevelop already in the works. Everywhere we looked, we could see giant cranes and new building foundations sprouting up all over the South Island's largest city.

All at once, Christchurch feels empty and shaken, but at the same time, hopeful and inspiring. — All at once, Christchurch feels empty and shaken, but at the same time, hopeful and inspiring.

Christchurch can be easily digested in one or two days; and since we had grey skies and rain, many of the outdoor activities we had planned were nixed.

We headed first to a chilling but amazing art installation by Peter Majendie in remembrance of the 185 victims of the February 2011 earthquake.

185 Empty Chairs.  Each chair is different to celebrate the uniqueness of each of the victims who lost their lives in the quake. — 185 Empty Chairs. Each chair is different to celebrate the uniqueness of each of the victims who lost their lives in the quake.

Directly across the street from the installation stands the Cardboard Cathedral, a temporary replacement for the Christchurch Cathedral that was damaged in the earthquake.

Such a cool concept.  We loved this place, and the people that worked there were so excited to welcome us and answer questions. — Such a cool concept. We loved this place, and the people that worked there were so excited to welcome us and answer questions.

We meandered through the streets for a bit and came across a ton of cool street art and graffiti. Here is one that we thought was pretty awesome.

Our next stop in Christchurch was to Re:START mall. This place is the epitome of resilience, with vendors setting up shop in shipping containers after the earthquake damaged their existing stores. The effect is a cool outdoor mall with an industrial feel right in the center of the city. I really hope the vendors stick around even after the city fully realizes its redevelopment plan.

Johnson's Grocers, a vendor that moved into the mall once his 60 year old store was destroyed.

Inside Johnson's.  Lots of great local products and old school candies and sweets. — Inside Johnson's. Lots of great local products and old school candies and sweets.

We had some awesome gyros and falafel from Dimitris at the Re:START mall.  All of the photos of the food involved us stuffing our faces, so we've spared you. — We had some awesome gyros and falafel from Dimitris at the Re:START mall. All of the photos of the food involved us stuffing our faces, so we've spared you.

red balloon restart mall christchurch new zealand

We left Christchurch early the following morning to start our five week road trip of both the South and North Islands. We headed south from Christchurch towards Dunedin, and saw this smiley face carved into a rock face on the road. Clearly a sign that good things were to come.

One of many awesome things about road-tripping New Zealand during the summer is that there are tons of fresh fruit, veggie, and egg stands along the road. Not far into our drive, we came across a berry farm that also had a small cafe on the premises.

Flower bushes with raspberry bushes in the distance.

One thing that we noticed right away on the road is the amount of space that cows and sheep have to roam here. Plus New Zealand has NO predators. At all. Well, besides humans. Happy cows come from New Zealand for sure.

One of the more famous sights to see along the way to Dunedin are the Moeraki Boulders. These clusters of very large spherical boulders on the beach are an important part of local lore and a cool stop to break up the long drive.

Kids watching the waves crash over the giant boulders.

We continued on our way to Dunedin, catching it a few hours before sunset. During the summer solstice in New Zealand, it stays light outside until about 9:30 pm. It's amazing! We never feel rushed to arrive to our destination due to the unusual amount of daylight we get each day.

We headed into Dunedin and grabbed some beers and dinner around the Octagon, in the center of the city. We really loved the vibe, and the city feels super young because it is also a university town.

After dinner, we headed to a holiday park to turn in for the night. Holiday parks are all over New Zealand - they are basically a mix of campgrounds, motel rooms, and spots for motor homes. They are safe, clean and affordable, and they all have bathrooms with hot showers, kitchens and laundry facilities. We bought a tent and a double sleeping bag (hey, we have to keep the romance alive!) before coming to New Zealand, so on our first night in Dunedin, we camped at one of the holiday parks. It was a great first experience, and definitely not our last!

Stay tuned for our next post about our trip to the stunning southern tip of New Zealand!

-Michelle