New Zealand

So the Friday came that I had to go leave. Back on another bus to travel for 8 hrs down to Wellington. I was there time to visit the national museum, which was quite impressive. I then went up to the parliament , designed by a certain Basil Spence... Enough said. The town was dead, as it was Good Friday, and shops are not allowed to open. So I managed to have an early night ready for my next 7.15 am pick up.

From Wellington I caught the ferry out to Picton on the South Island. Luckily, it was a very smooth crossing. You pass through the Queen Charlotte Sound (like a fjord). Very close to the mountains on both sides and stunning.

I bumped into one of the girls I knew from the Bay of Islands. So we caught up on the Magic bus, which picked us up at the terminal, and took us to Nelson. It's a hop on, hop off coach, that takes you around the Island. You can do it in a minimum of 9 days, or take longer and stop in certain places. They also organise activities for you and point things out along the way, with drivers who like to chip in their own views every now and again too!

Nelson is beautiful, an old town in the fruit and wine growing area. I may not have made it to the northern most point due to rain, but I have seen the centre of NZ! Its a point on a hill outside Nelson, with great views for miles in either direction. The sort of walk there and back that makes you happy to be alive!

The next day I went into the Abel Tasmen national park. From what I can see, most of the South Island is good enough to be national parkland, and is. This park is around the 'sunshine capital' of NZ. It's a protected bay, so the sea is very calm, perfect for kayakers. But I got dropped off by boat in a secluded bay, and walked back. You're supposed to be able to do it in 4 hrs... As if! We almost ran most of the way and it still took 5 hrs! I made some good friends though through the pain! 3 girls, who I'm still travelling with now. The views were great, and the weather was great for walking. We had a picnic lunch on our own beach, and shared Easter eggs!
That night I was ready for my bed! The most exercise I've done in months, but a fantastic way to spend Easter Sunday.

Monday brought quite a long day on the coach again, driving down the west coast. However, we were in mountain country now, so plenty to look at. Purple mountains, turquoise rivers, yellow and green grass, red and brown autumn leaves on the trees, you get the picture! The first stop was a fur seal colony. A real success story, as they are almost back to their original nos, before the European fur traders arrived. We also stopped at a couple of view points, and the Pancake rocks. It's Limestone in very defined strata, which has eroded away into extraordinary shapes and pillars. These form blow holes with the sea. It was a little too calm for anything spectacular though.

That night was spent in Greymouth. A one horse town, where the only thing to do was the local brewery tour. But for $20, about £8, we tried all the beers (8), had 3 pints of our favourite and a sausage BBQ. Beer being the universal leveller we also got to know our fellow travellers a bit better too.