South Island so far

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Picton - Franz Josef 13/10/08
We are loving New Zealand so far. The scenery is awesome and continually surprises, driving along the coastal road from Nelson to Greymouth was a particular highlight. Every turn is another picture postcard view. We took a fantastic walk along the coastal track in Abel Tasman national park which is beautiful, secluded beaches with turquoise waters, paradise! We enjoyed our quick stop in Nelson then went on to the Nelson Lakes national park. The views again were amazing but unfortunately were dampened a little by the hoards of flies and mozzies, somewhat worse due to the glorious weather we’ve been having. Half an hour then ensued when Jon and I ran around the camper van trying to exterminate the 100 or so mozzies that got in when we opened the van door -funny in hindsight!

We swiftly moved on to our next destination Punakaiki on the west coast, Punakaiki is best known for its pancake rock formations and blow holes. At certain times the tide creates surging pools and chimneys at the water shoots up the holes, it was a great sight. We stayed right on the beach which was perfect for an evening run. As the sun was still shining we had a bbq on the beach watching the sunset with a nice bottle of red we’d picked up from Stoneleigh, a vineyard in Nelson.
We are now in Franz Josef village and are excited about taking a helihike up the glacier tomorrow.

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