New Zealand - Christchurch House Sits


We were fortunate to line up a couple (so far) of house sits in New Zealand, both in Christchurch. New Zealand isn’t exactly cheap to travel in, so saving on the cost of hotels is most welcome. Plus, it provides the opportunity to downshift from full-on tourist mode, which can be exhausting. So it gives us a base to explore Christchurch, but also the time to do our taxes, go through the thousands of photos we’ve taken, and of course get some always welcome puppy love. 

These two house sits are each to look after a pair of dogs. The first were a pair of adorable schnauzers named Rafferty, who never tires of chasing tennis balls, and the Tessa, who is elderly and considers chasing tennis balls more of a spectator sport. We took them on walks every day, usually at the nearby beach. We really enjoyed meeting the schnauzers’ owners Lyndal and Roger before their trip to Wellington and plan to reconnect with them later in our trip.

Our second pair of dogs was Sooty and Bella. Sooty is at least part black lab, ten years old but very energetic and a good walking companion, reliably pooping near the trash can in the park so I don’t have to carry a smelly bag of her excrement around for long periods. Bella is thirteen – quite old for a golden retriever – and, when she moves at all, does so at a glacial pace. So both dogs easy to care for and very sweet. Owners Arthur and Margaret are great travelers and we had lots of good conversation with them. They were off to Australia for a little more than a week, and they generously offered to let us stay with them after their return for any extra days we needed. So these were two great house sits for us and we really enjoyed the city of Christchurch as well, as I’ll be writing soon.


Deborah and the Schnauzers on the beach


Rafferty
(photo by Deborah)


Tessa
(photo by Deborah)


Blake with Rafferty
(photo by Deborah)


Deborah reading with Tessa


Deborah with Sooty and Bella


Bella and Sooty
(photo by Deborah)


Sooty with her monkey
(photo by Deborah)


Bella
(photo by Deborah)


Blake with Bella and Sooty
(photo by Deborah)


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