Day 44/72: North to South!

We woke up early in Wellington and got up with everyone else who was going on the morning ferry over to South Island. It was a nice quiet night and the ducks were back in the morning. We headed over to the ferry after breakfast (surprisingly expensive ferry!) and did the whole queueing for ages in long lanes. We ate breakfast to pass the time.

The ferry was a ferry and the 3 hours were spent playing cards, looking at the view, reading and going out onto the deck to marvel at the hills and cliffs around us, whilst we turned blue in the cold wind.

We then drove up to Motueka, the place where Izzi was booked to do her skydive (more on that later). We made 2 stops on the way, one for cherries from one of many orchards/plantations that we passed along the route, covered in vast netting that protected the plants from birds, and another for a very scenic lunch overlooking what seemed like a lake, but was actually the sea surrounded by interlocking mountains and hills.

We drove all the way through Motueka (and made a note to explore it a little more the next day) and ended up in a place called Marahau. Here was a campsite overlooking the sea and we set up the van, applied lots of sun cream, donned santa hats and went for a run along the coastal path. The run was great and just what we needed after a day of sitting. We contented ourselves with some chicken and tomato pasta for dinner, and read until the light faded on the day.Read more