North Island to South Island

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Greetings!!

I arrived in Auckland with several hours to wait before my campervan was ready. The flight wasn't all that bad and I was able to get some sleep. After getting used to driving on the other side of the road and sitting on the opposite side of the van, I made my way out of Auckland and headed north. I made a slower start than expected, so I wasn't able to make it all the way to Cape Reinga - the northernmost point. Instead, I stayed the night at Paihia in the Bay of Islands. I took a cruise and enjoyed the scenery.

The weather was nice, but a little overcast, so I'm sure that hampered some of the beauty. There was a huge private yacht anchored in the bay that we all were amazed at. The people here are very nice. Despite the fact that I stalled the van a few times while driving, not a single person honked at me. 😊 I can drive a stick, but it's a different thing when you have to use a different hand and try to keep things moving - and go up hills, nonetheless!

Because of my slow start, and the fact that I've realized it's taking me longer to get places than I originally anticipated, I adjusted my plan for the next day. I skipped the glowworm caves on the north island (they have more on the South Island) and headed to Lake Taupo before catching the ferry to the south island. I also stopped at Huka Falls which were beautiful - lots and lots of water going through a short space. After that, I had a long journey to Wellington where I caught the ferry to get to the South island. I landed on the South island around 6 am and headed to Nelson to meet up with my friend Bishop. We met as scheduled (always a relief) and headed right away for Abel Tasman National park.

While in Abel Tasman, we kayaked for the first two days and stayed in Department of Conservation huts (the other alternative is bringing your tent). The water was absolutely gorgeous - so many shades of green. We were able to see lots of bird life and also some seals. The third day, we hiked to the next hut (with 20 pound packs on our backs) and took a water taxi back to the start of the park. It was a nice reprieve from all of our exertions.

After the park, we headed towards Hamner Springs (they have thermal pools there). We arrived too late to go to the pools and we decided we'd rather spend the following day watching whales, so we left before the crack of dawn to get to Kaikoura to do some whale watching. The trip was absolutely amazing - we ended up seeing a sperm whale!

After that, we toured around Kaikoura a bit more. We happened upon a Presbyterian church and attended their Sunday service. They were very friendly and welcoming. We then had lunch and saw some seals and headed for Christchurch, which is where I am today writing this.

It has been a great trip so far, and I'm excited about the days to come. You can truly see the majesty of God's creation and creativity here. I'll write more as I get a chance. Miss you all!

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Photos

Sunrise at the Bay of Islands
This was my view from the back of my campervan.

Hiking in Abel Tasman
I'm a bit rough looking - these huts where we stayed are not the Marriot! :)

Moss at Abel Tasman
This moss was actually only about an inch tall. I was testing out some of my new camera stuff and was able to get a really close shot.

Water and beach at Abel Tasman
The water is hard to describe! The picture tries to do it justice, but it's still so much prettier in person!

Flowers along the way in Abel Tasman
These were along so many of the roads I drove on, but also made an appearance in Abel Tasman.

Another beautiful scene in Abel Tasman
This was on Adele island - a neat, isolated island we kayaked to.

Presbyterian Church in Kaikoura
The front of their church overlooked the Pacific Ocean.