After 3 glorious weeks on the North Island it was time to leave for southern shores. Our original plan of a month on each island was altered slightly due to some unseasonal rain and flooding over on the East cape which meant that we had to miss out that part of the journey. We boarded our Interislander ferry at 8am in glorious sunshine and left Wellington behind.
We enjoyed the sailing and were soon treated to the magnificent views of Marlborough sound as we reached the South Island. On arrival in Picton we chose the scenic route along Queen Charlotte drive which took us up into the hills and along the coast, taking in more dramatic scenery as we swallowed up the miles.
We arrived in Havelock and decided to stay there for the night and take advantage of the campsite owner's local fishing knowledge. On his recommendation we made our way to Cullen Point with fishing rods in hand and after some scrambling over rocks thought we'd found the perfect fishing spot (magnificent view included). After a couple of minutes I commented on the rather unpleasant smell which I'd detected; as Dave pleaded his innocence we took a quick look around and located the culprit, the rotting carcass of a huge cow just metres away at the back of the beach! After a rather sharpish relocation we spent a few hours dipping our rods into the water until the sand flies descended and we retreated to the safety of the campsite.
The next morning we made our way towards the town of Nelson, stopping at the gorgeous spot of Pelorus bridge with its crystal clear waters and huge trout swimming tantalizingly close to Dave, looking up, laughing and then swimming off again. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the sights of Nelson, before heading for Jenny and Nick's place (old neighbours of Dave's from Dorset) for a lovely evening and the luxury of a proper bed for the first time in a month.
The next morning with all of Jenny's tips in hand we set off for the Abel Tasman national park looking forward to exploring this beautiful area by kayak and on foot. Unfortunately the weather gods were definitely against us and as we made our way up through the park the low cloud obliterated any views we might have enjoyed and the rain kept us firmly inside the van. We headed right to the top of the island to Farewell Spit in the hope that the weather might improve but it remained decidedly soggy, windy and quite frankly bloody cold. We spent the night in the park but awoke the next morning to more rain and decided to cut our losses and head out of the area. As soon as we descended off Takaka hill the weather brightened and we took the opportunity to get some fresh air and make the walk to Harwood's hole, an extremely deep sink hole, descending 183 metres into a system of caves. We walked along the forest path and then climbed over a few rocks to peer down into its depths, as you can imagine I wasn't too keen on that and scuttled away while Dave tried to capture its enormous depth on camera; very hard to do so you'll have to make do with a forest shot.
Spent a night on route to Nelson Lakes and arrived the next day to yet more rain, arrgghhh! We booked our spot on the Lake Rotoiti DOC campsite anyway and crossed our fingers that the downpour would stop; finally our luck changed and during the afternoon we walked around the peninsula and ended the afternoon with a beer at the Alpine lodge in the sun.
Weather permitting the plan the next day was to climb Mount Roberts, which promised fantastic views over the lakes and the surrounding area. As the day broke over our sandfly ridden campsite the change in the weather was astounding, blue skies all round! We bounded up the hills and enjoyed the said views and skipped back down again all before lunch time.
Having completed the walk quicker than expected we took the opportunity to escape the bloodsucking swarms and jumped in the van heading to Blenheim in the heart of Marlborough wine country. We resisted the lure of the vineyards and drove on down the coast to Kaikora, the place in New Zealand to spot whales and swim with dolphins. The weather deteriorated as we moved south and by the time we were in sniffing distance of these magnificent mammals all the trips onto the water had been cancelled and we spent another wet night sheltering inside Delilah. The weather on the coast showed no sign of clearing so we took the decision to head for the mountains for a few days in search of sunnier climes; Hanmer Springs here we come!
We enjoyed the sailing and were soon treated to the magnificent views of Marlborough sound as we reached the South Island. On arrival in Picton we chose the scenic route along Queen Charlotte drive which took us up into the hills and along the coast, taking in more dramatic scenery as we swallowed up the miles. 
We arrived in Havelock and decided to stay there for the night and take advantage of the campsite owner's local fishing knowledge. On his recommendation we made our way to Cullen Point with fishing rods in hand and after some scrambling over rocks thought we'd found the perfect fishing spot (magnificent view included). After a couple of minutes I commented on the rather unpleasant smell which I'd detected; as Dave pleaded his innocence we took a quick look around and located the culprit, the rotting carcass of a huge cow just metres away at the back of the beach! After a rather sharpish relocation we spent a few hours dipping our rods into the water until the sand flies descended and we retreated to the safety of the campsite.
The next morning we made our way towards the town of Nelson, stopping at the gorgeous spot of Pelorus bridge with its crystal clear waters and huge trout swimming tantalizingly close to Dave, looking up, laughing and then swimming off again. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the sights of Nelson, before heading for Jenny and Nick's place (old neighbours of Dave's from Dorset) for a lovely evening and the luxury of a proper bed for the first time in a month.
The next morning with all of Jenny's tips in hand we set off for the Abel Tasman national park looking forward to exploring this beautiful area by kayak and on foot. Unfortunately the weather gods were definitely against us and as we made our way up through the park the low cloud obliterated any views we might have enjoyed and the rain kept us firmly inside the van. We headed right to the top of the island to Farewell Spit in the hope that the weather might improve but it remained decidedly soggy, windy and quite frankly bloody cold. We spent the night in the park but awoke the next morning to more rain and decided to cut our losses and head out of the area. As soon as we descended off Takaka hill the weather brightened and we took the opportunity to get some fresh air and make the walk to Harwood's hole, an extremely deep sink hole, descending 183 metres into a system of caves. We walked along the forest path and then climbed over a few rocks to peer down into its depths, as you can imagine I wasn't too keen on that and scuttled away while Dave tried to capture its enormous depth on camera; very hard to do so you'll have to make do with a forest shot.
Spent a night on route to Nelson Lakes and arrived the next day to yet more rain, arrgghhh! We booked our spot on the Lake Rotoiti DOC campsite anyway and crossed our fingers that the downpour would stop; finally our luck changed and during the afternoon we walked around the peninsula and ended the afternoon with a beer at the Alpine lodge in the sun. 
Weather permitting the plan the next day was to climb Mount Roberts, which promised fantastic views over the lakes and the surrounding area. As the day broke over our sandfly ridden campsite the change in the weather was astounding, blue skies all round! We bounded up the hills and enjoyed the said views and skipped back down again all before lunch time.
Having completed the walk quicker than expected we took the opportunity to escape the bloodsucking swarms and jumped in the van heading to Blenheim in the heart of Marlborough wine country. We resisted the lure of the vineyards and drove on down the coast to Kaikora, the place in New Zealand to spot whales and swim with dolphins. The weather deteriorated as we moved south and by the time we were in sniffing distance of these magnificent mammals all the trips onto the water had been cancelled and we spent another wet night sheltering inside Delilah. The weather on the coast showed no sign of clearing so we took the decision to head for the mountains for a few days in search of sunnier climes; Hanmer Springs here we come!
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