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Published: August 24th 2009
Saturday, August 22nd
We slept late (again!) and after a shower Clive and Lize prepared a huge farewell breakfast. They were very kind and friendly and helpful during our stay, and it was great to see a different take on life in New Zealand. Also, Lize kept giving us chocolates and biscuits and stuff! We'll definitely stop by again on our way back north.
We said farewell and drove to the Blue Bridge Ferry terminal where we joined the queue waiting to embark. There were also two other elaborately painted Escape vans. Very cool! While we waited we organized and repacked our van. It had become a little cluttered inside. At noon we drove onto the ferry, got our cameras and snacks, and headed to the observation deck. Here we sat soaking up the lovely mid-day sun while we waited for the departure time to arrive.
At 1pm we left the north island, sailing over the Cook Strait to the south island. We were very excited! We'd been looking forward to visiting the south island since we first decided to come to New Zealand, more than two years ago.
The ferry was very luxurious, nothing like the ones
On the ferry
Santa Reginawe're used to from Asia. There's a restaurant, bar, lounge and movie room onboard. After a while it got chilly so we moved indoors. Here we met a South African guy (living in the UK) and chatted to him for a while.
As we approached the south island we entered the Tory Channel which flows into the Queen Charlotte Sound. The scenery was beautiful and we saw a few houses nestled in secluded bays as we passed. It looked like heavenly little escapes from the world and we wished we could live in one of these!
Our ferry ride came to an end at about 4:30pm when we arrived in the small town of Picton. We left the ferry and drove to our campsite near Waikawa Bay. Since we didn't have a proper lunch we were starving. We headed for the kitchen and prepared a big dinner.
After a shower we settled into our van for the night. It's a little colder here, so from tomorrow on we'll wear our thermals.
Today's highlights:
1. Beautiful scenery.
2. Arriving in the south island.
Sunday, August 23rd
After a light breakfast we sat planning our route and
Hello Picton
and South Island prepared a rough schedule for the rest of our time in NZ. It's hard to believe, but our trip is almost at an end. With less than a month and a half left we actually have to plan ahead! Yuck!
😉
With that nasty business behind us, we packed the van and headed south toward Blenheim, then west to Renwick. This is wine country and there’s vineyards in every direction. As it was 10am we felt it too early to start drinking, so we drove around for a while. At 10:30 Talita gave Ferdi "the look" which convinced him that sufficient time had passed, so we visited our first vineyard of the day, called Cloudy Bay. It was a beautiful area and we enjoyed a taste of their wines.
We moved on down the road and got lured into Nautilus Estate by the promise of a cheese platter and some more wine. The duty manager was called Phillip van der Walt and before we knew it we were chatting away in Afrikaans while enjoying a splendid selection of wine and some seriously tasty cheese. After tasting their entire range of wines we couldn't help but buy two bottles (one
red and one white) and two blocks of cheese (one blue and one with cumin seeds in). Phillip said we couldn't have such good wine in plastic cups, so he gave us a couple of wine glasses on the house! That was a great visit!
The next place on our list was Farmingham. We sampled a few of their wines, visited their underground cellar, then went to a picnic spot close by for lunch. After all that wine we needed something in our bellies. We fried hashbrowns and eggs, plopped them on bread with cheese and enjoyed a great lunch.
Our plan had been to stay in Blenheim tonight, but we felt we'd done what we wanted in the area and could move on. We set off south once more. The road led through the hills toward the ocean and soon the tips of the Kaikoura Mountain Range showed their white peaks. We were astounded by their magnificent beauty. The road wound next to the coast all the way to Kaikoura, a town nestled between the Kaikoura Range and the Pacific Ocean. We found a motor home park with a great view of the mountains, but were placed
in a spot with no view whatsoever. We scouted for the best spot and moved to that one.
For dinner we got take-aways. Liza told us that fish n chips were a good value take-away meal so Ferdi had that and Talita had a veggie burger. It was very affordable and totally delicious. Thanks Lize!
Today's highlights:
1. Cheese and wine at Nautilus Estate.
2. Seeing the snow-capped peaks of the Kaikoura range.
3. Camping spot with a great view.
4. Take-away dinner.
Impressions of NZ:
We love how every one is so conservation conscious! Everyone recycles and attempt to conserve energy. If only the rest of the world would catch on! Monday, August 24th
When we opened our eyes we were greeted by yet another gorgeous day in paradise. Kaikoura has approximately 2000 hours of sunshine each year, and this morning the mountains were just gorgeous. There are tons of things to do here, but it's all a little too expensive for us. You can go whale watching trips by boat, helicopter or small plane or go skydiving, swimming with seals, swimming with dolphins, diving or fishing. There are literally hundreds of things to do.
After a French toast breakfast we paid for another night at the park, then drove out to the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway. A resident seal colony lives here and there's also a short walking track along the coast. We saw our first seal before we even left the parking lot. He was lying by the steps to the rocky beach, soaking up the rays.
We started off between the cliff and the sea, going slowly, cause the rocks were very slippery with seaweed. Once we reached the first bay the going got easier. We spent some time sitting near n big group of seals that were not bothered by us. Later we made our way to the top of the cliffs and from here we had gorgeous views of both the ocean and the mountains. The day had turned hot (if you can believe it!) and we had to shed some layers because we started to sweat.
Back at the van we enjoyed lunch while the gulls surrounded us, hoping for a bite. Talita had a post-lunch nap while Ferdi wandered around the rocks. He was so busy looking where he put his feet that he almost ran
Picnic spot
Framingham Estate into a couple of seals snoozing in the sun. Luckily the closest one gave a warning and Ferdi backed off (after taking a couple of pics).
Later we drove around to the southern point of the peninsula where we found a sunny spot to spend the rest of the afternoon. We sat on a picnic bench looking out over the bay, enjoyed a few beers and chatted away like magpies while the gulls and a couple of geese kept us company.
Just before the sun disappeared behind the peaks we headed “home” for dinner, had a shower, then had a relaxing night in our van.
Today's highlights:
1. Close encounter with wild seals.
2. Great views of the bays and mountains.
3. Enjoying a few beers in the late afternoon sun.
Impressions of NZ:
The north island is gorgeous, but it absolutely pales in comparison with the south island.
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lize
non-member comment
i love kaikoura!!!!!!