Having a break from my holiday...

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Hello from the South Island!!

I can't believe it is already getting close to the end of February. This month has gone so fast! I have had a wonderful relaxing time, which has really felt like having a holiday from my holiday. There are really only 3 things I have done since my last blog: lie around on glorious sandy beaches, with the occasional swim in crsytal clear aquamarine sparkling water; go for long, long walks along stunning coastlines; and go wine tasting (!). I also went on a very "well behaved" date with a 35 year old, extremely un-goodlooking, divorced with a kid, retired dairy farmer called "Fletch" which is very amusing, but quite sweet really. What more could a girl ask for?? :-) Hahaha...

I am writing this from Christchurch which is on the East coast of the South Island. I have been forced to stay here far longer than I wanted to due to the fact that I have slipped a disc in my back and am in quite considerable pain. I have been seeing an osteopath who seems pretty good and I am hoping he will be able to cure me. I won't say anything about Christchurch now, as I will save that for the next blog entry, which I anticipate will be my last from NZ!!! I am due to fly to Oz on 12 March...

So - to expand a little on my very brief summary of activity above...From Wellington I caught the Interislander Ferry over to the South Island. I have heard it can be a very rough crossing. But on the day I travelled, it was fine! Clear blue sky, breezy and brilliant. It was a beautiful journey. I felt quite sad to be leaving the north island and knowing that I won't be back there for quite some time.

When I arrived on the South Island, I pretty much went straight over to a town called Nelson which is right at the very top of the south island. It is a fantastic little town and like Napier on the north island, I could very easily live there!! I had a lot of fun during my week there. It is famous for being very "arty" and lots of craftspeople and musicians and artists live around there. The town is filled with lots of galleries and shops selling beautiful pottery, hand blown glass, wood carvings, weaving, paintings. You name it, they do it. It is also home to Jens Hansen, the jeweller who made the One Ring for Lord of the Rings. Of course I had to go and see it!

They also had a music festival on when I arrived, so I got to go to a brilliant concert at the Nelson School of Music. My first concert since last September, which made me very happy! I also did some glass blowing which was soooo exciting!!! I have wanted to do that for years and years and years. I made 2 beautiful glass baubles to take home. There is also a really unusual museum these called the Museum of Wearable Art, that I went to with a lovely girl I let in the hostel was staying at. It is basically a collection of amazing "costumes" that are works of art, and they are all made of really wierd things, like old coat hangers, rubber gloves and pieces of rubbish. They are really awesome!! I have put a few pictures below, but there were loads more. There is so much to do in Nelson and I could have stayed there for weeks.

I also met "Fletch" whilst I was there. He asked me out for a drink about 30 minutes after meeting me, which I thought he was a bit hasty, seeing as we had only just met! But I said yes anyway because I was in a daring mood!! We met for a drink that evening, and had something to eat, and then climbed up a huge hill in the pitch dark to look at the lights of Nelson. Needless to say, we had nothing in common and there is NO remote possibility of any future (hahahaha...). I was just relieved that he was a perfect gentleman and made no attempt at any physical contact whatsoever and didn't even ask for my email address, thank goodness!!! He was very sweet though and it was a really fun evening. I do have a picture of him, but haven't put it on the blog, because it isn't very flattering!!

Whilst staying in Nelson, I also did a 2 day walk in the Abel Tasman National Park, which was really, really lovely. It is like paradise! The sea is so clear and sparkling and lovely to swim in, and the sand is really soft and golden, and you can only get to it by boat, so it is practically deserted! A great spot for honeymooning or romantic liaisons...! I stayed the night on a boat anchored in one of the bays, which has been converted into a backpackers. I was expecting to dislike it, but ended up meeting some lovely people, having a brilliant time, enjoying the stars and swimming in the dark off the back of the boat! The walk itself was also wonderful with the most stunning views right along the coast. I would have loved to spend longer there.

After my time in Nelson/The Abel Tasman, I met up with Vanessa and James again and we went to a town called Renwick for a few days of wine tasting! The general area that we were in is called Marlborough, and those who know anything about wine will know that it is a world-famous area for it's wines. We hired bikes, and cycled to about 5 wineries, and managed to try a lot of wine and had some gorgeous food too. We had a great time! The wine was excellent, and I will certainly be getting my hands on some when I get home!!

After such indulgences, it was time for some more walking, this time along the Queen Charlotte Track which is a 71km track through the Marlborough Sounds. I only walked about 50kms though, over 4/5 days. It was a very, very beautiful walk. Similar to the Abel Tasman, but without the white sandy beaches. However...one dominant characteristic of both the Abel Tasman and the QCT is the presence of cicardas (sp??). You would probably normally associate these with places like Greece, but in fact, NZ has MILLIONS AND TRILLIONS of them, and they are EXTREMELY irritating!!!! They apparently live in holes in the ground for seven years (yes - seven!). Then they come out, for about 3/4 months over the summer, to mate. Then they die. It' a pretty pointless existence. So for a bit of a laugh during their 3/4 months alive, they spend most of their time freaking the life out of tourists like me, who walk along the tracks. Firstly they are so loud it almost deafens you. Then, as you calmly walk along, minding your own business and enjoying the view...CRASH! A huge cicarda just zaps right into you. Sometimes its your ear, sometimes its your neck, sometimes its your cheek, once it was almost straight into my mouth and few times they seemed very eager to fly right under my T-shirt!!! I hated them soooo much!!! They just divebomb you constantly and it gets really annoying because however well prepared I was, they STILL made me shriek every time from the shock! However, I did enjoy the walk, very much, despite such horrors.

So, all in all, it has been a very fun and relaxing 3 weeks. The weather has been stunning for the most part - clear blue sky, hot sun. Perfect for getting a tan in fact! I am very sad to think that my time in NZ is drawing to an end. I leave for Oz on 12 March and am not sure how on earth it is going to match up to the glories of NZ. But I am sure it will still be brilliant. I do miss you all though!!! Please email me...! xox

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