We chose to spend our first night in Tamsin's place since it's only 20 min away from Christchurch. We were very impressed to find such a lovely cottage! The place is small but has everything you need, fulñ of toiletries, different sorts of tea, healthy breakfast with fruit, extra blankets, books, etc. The sun falls into the house beautifully early im the morning, perfect to have your breakfast in the garden and enjoy the company of Beans, the family loving dog. She also played her part making us feel at home, she welcomed us as if we had always lived there. We even had a chance to take her for a walk to the beach before we go. Perfect way to start your NZ trip.